>rma 

3,1 


"DICK,    OLD   CHAP,    YOU   HAYB  BEEN   WOUNDED." — Frontitfitft. 
Among  Malay  Pirates. 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES 


A  TALE  OF  ADVENTURE  AND  PERIL 


G.  A.   HENTY 

OK  "UNDER  DRAKE'S  FLAG,"  "IN  FREEDOM'S  CAUSf 
"TRUE  TO  THE  CLP  FLAG,"  "THE  DRAGON 
AND  THE  RAVBN,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


M.  A.  DONOHUE  &  COMPANY 

CHICAGO  NEW  YORK 


Made  in  U.  S.  A. 


Stack 
Annex 

PR 


CONTENTS. 


•Mi 

AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES,      .••••••  i 

BEARS  AND  DACOITS,     ..,..••-  143 

THE  PATERNOSTERS,      ..••••••  i6c 

A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY,    .••••••  -^t 

WHITE-FACED  DICK i       •       .        .  M; 

A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE,      ......  245 


tit 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 


CHAPTER   I. 

~i  WISH  most  heartily  that  something  would 
happen,"  Harry  Parkhurst,  a  midshipman  of  some 
sixteen  years  of  age,  said  to  his  chum,  Dick  Balder- 
son,  as  they  leaned  on  the  rail  of  her  majesty's  gun 
boat  Serpent,  and  looked  gloomily  at  the  turbid 
stream  that  rolled  past  the  ship  as  she  lay  at  anchor. 
"  One  day  is  just  like  another — one  is  in  a  state  of 
perspiration  from  morning  till  night,  and  from  night 
till  morning.  There  seems  to  be  always  a  mist  upon 
the  water;  and  if  it  were  not  that  we  get  up  steam 
every  three  or  four  days  and  run  out  for  twenty- 
four  hours  for  a  breath  of  fresh  air,  I  believe  that 
we  should  be  all  eaten  up  with  fever  in  no  time.  Of 
course,  they  are  always  talking  of  Malay  pirates  up 
the  river  kicking  up  a  row;  but  it  never  seems  to 
come  off." 

"  There  is  one  thing,  Harry — there  is  always 
something  to  look  at,  for  there  are  canoes  constantly 
going  up  and  down,  and  there  is  plently  of  variety 
among  them — from  the  sluggish  dhows,  laden  with 
up-country  produce,  to  the  long  canoes  with  a  score 


a  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

of  paddlers  and  some  picturesque  ruffian  sitting  in 
the  stern.  It  adds  to  the  interest  when  you  know 
that  the  crews  are  cut-throats  to  a  man,  and  would 
make  but  the  shortest  possible  work  of  you  if  they 
had  got  you  in  their  power." 

"  Yes,  Dick.  Look  at  that  canoe  coming  up 
stream;  what  a  good-looking  chap  that  is  in  the 
stern,  though  by  the  way  he  scowls  at  us  I  can  quite 
believe  he  would,  as  you  say,  cut  our  throats  if  he  had 
the  chance.  That  is  a  pretty  little  child  sitting  by 
him,  and  what  a  gorgeous  dress  she  has !  There,  you 
see,  he  can  look  pleasant  enough  when  he  speaks  to 
her.  I  fancy  they  must  have  come  from  a  long  way 
up  the  river,  for  they  look  wilder  than  most  of  the 
fellows  who  pass  us.  If  that  fool  who  is  steering  her 
does  not  mind  what  he  is  about,  Dick,  he  will  either 
run  into  that  canoe  coming  down  or  else  get  across 
our  chain.  There,  I  told  you  so." 

The  man  at  the  tiller  was  in  fact,  looking,  with 
mingled  curiosity  and  hostility,  at  the  gunboat  that 
he  was  passing  but  a  few  yards  away,  and  did  not 
notice  a  canoe,  manned  by  six  rowers,  that  was  com 
ing  down  with  the  stream,  taking  an  oblique  course 
across  the  bows  of  the  Serpent,  and  was  indeed  hid 
den  from  his  view  by  the  hull  of  the  vessel,  until  he 
had  passed  beyond  her.  Then  there  was  a  sudden 
shout  and  a  yell  from  a  dozen  throats,  as  the  two 
canoes  came  into  collision,  the  one  proceeding  up 
the  river  being  struck  on  the  quarter  with  a  force 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  j 

that  almost  cut  her  in  two,  and  in  an  instant  her 
occupant*  were  in  the  water.  As  the  Malays  were 
to  a  man  almost  as  much  at  home  in  the  water  as  on 
land,  the  accident  would  have  had  little  effect  be 
yond  the  loss  of  the  boat  and  its  contents,  had  it  not 
been  that  the  stem  of  the  other  craft  struck  the 
Malay  chief  with  such  force  as  to  completely  disable 
him,  and  he  would  have  sunk  at  once  had  not  two 
of  the  boatmen  grasped  him  and  kept  his  head  above 
water. 

"  What  has  become  of  the  child?  "  Harry  Park- 
hurst  exclaimed,  and  he  and  Dick  Balderson  both 
leaped  on  to  the  rail,  throwing  off  their  jackets  as 
they  shouted  to  the  men  to  lower  a  boat.  Nothing 
could  be  seen  of  the  child  until,  after  half  a  minute's 
suspense,  a  little  face  suddenly  appeared  in  the  swirl 
of  the  muddy  water  some  fifteen  yards  from  the 
vessel's  side.  It  was  gone  again  in  an  instant,  but, 
as  it  disappeared,  both  lads  sprang  from  the  side 
and  with  a  few  strokes  reached  the  spot  where  they 
had  seen  the  face  disappear;  then  they  dived  under 
water  and  soon  grasped  her.  As  soon  as  they  came 
to  the  surface  a  sailor,  who  had  seized  a  coil  of  rope, 
flung  it  to  them,  and,  grasping  it,  they  were  quickly 
by  the  side  of  the  gunboat. 

A  minute  later  some  sailors,  who  had  at  once 
tumbled  into  a  boat  on  the  alarm  being  given,  came 
up.  The  child  was  first  handed  into  it,  then  the 
midshipmen  scrambled  in,  and,  by  their  directions, 


4  AMONG  MALAY  n RATES. 

two  of  the  sailors,  standing  on  the  thwarts,  lifted  the 
child  high  above  their  heads  to  the  hands  of  the  men 
leaning  over  the  bulwark. 

"  Take  the  little  thing  to  the  doctor,"  Dick  said. 
"  Now,  lads,  row  on;  let's  pick  up  some  of  those 
Malay  fellows." 

A  babel  of  shouts  and  sounds  rose  from  the  water; 
the  bow  of  the  second  canoe  had  been  stove  in,  and 
she  also  had  sunk  to  the  water  level;  a  fierce  fight 
was  going  on  between  several  of  the  Malays;  the 
chief,  who  was  being  supported  by  two  of  his  crew, 
was  shouting  furiously;  and  others  of  his  men,  in 
obedience  to  his  orders,  were  diving  under  water. 
Harry  turned  to  the  gunboat,  and  called  to  the  men 
to  bring  Soh  Hay,  the  interpreter,  to  the  side.  A 
minute  later  the  man  was  hustled  to  the  rail. 

"  Tell  that  chief  that  we  have  got  his  child  safely 
on  board,"  Harry  shouted. 

Again  and  again  the  interpreter  called  out;  but 
it  was  some  time  before  he  could  make  the  chief  pay 
attention  to  him.  As  the  latter  caught  the  purport 
of  his  words  his  face  changed  at  once,  and,  after 
calling  to  his  men  to  desist  from  their  search,  his 
head  sank  on  to  the  shoulder  of  one  of  the  men  sup 
porting  him,  and  he  evidently  lost  consciousness. 

"  He  is  badly  hurt,  Dick;  we  had  better  get  him 
on  board,  too.  Old  Horsley  was  wishing  this  morn 
ing  that  he  had  something  to  do  beyond  administer 
ing  doses  of  quinine  to  the  men." 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  5 

Taking  the  tiller,  he  brought  the  boat  alongside 
the  chief,  and  four  of  the  sailors,  directed  by  Dick, 
gently  raised  him  from  the  water  and  laid  him  on 
the  bottom  of  the  boat.  Blood  was  flowing  freely 
from  an  ugly  gash  in  his  face,  and  it  was  evident 
from  the  manner  in  which  his  left  arm  hung  limp, 
as  they  lifted  him  up,  that  either  ihe  shoulder  or  the 
arm  itself  was  broken. 

"  Get  him  alongside  at  once,  lads,"  Dick  said.  "  I 
expect  he  is  more  injured  than  we  see.  The  other 
fellows  will  be  all  right;  they  can  all  swim  like  fish." 

In  two  or  three  minutes  the  injured  man  was  laid 
down  under  an  awning  over  the  fore  deck  of  the 
cruiser,  and  the  surgeon  at  once  came  up. 

"  How  is  the  child,  Doctor?  " 

"  She  is  still  insensible,"  he  said,  "  but  she  will 
soon  be  all  right.  I  can't  discover  any  injury,  and 
I  think  it  likely  that  it  was  the  sudden  shock,  and 
perhaps  a  knock  against  the  side  of  the  boat,  that 
stunned  her;  for  I  have  no  doubt  she  could  swim, 
small  as  she  is.  This  is  a  much  more  serious  affair; 
he  has  an  ugly  gash  in  his  temple,  his  collar-bone  is 
broken,  and,"  he  went  on,  as  he  passed  his  hands 
down  the  patient's  side,  "  he  has  two,  if  not  more, 
ribs  broken." 

"  Well,  we  will  leave  him  to  you,  Doctor;  there 
are  a  lot  of  these  fellows  in  the  water,  and  I  suppose 
they  must  be  brought  on  board  until  we  can  get  a 
boat  to  take  them  ashore." 


6  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

In  a  few  minutes  eighteen  Malays  were  brought 
to  the  side,  and  the  two  canoes,  which  were  floating 
level  with  the  water,  were  towed  up  and  fastened 
by  a  rope  to  the  stern  of  the  gunboat.  Even  when 
safely  on  deck,  the  two  parties  were  still  so  infuri 
ated  that  they  had  to  be  separated  and  placed  under 
guards  apart  from  each  other.  Three  or  four  had 
been  killed  by  the  stabs  of  the  deadly  krises,  and  their 
bodies  could  be  seen  floating  astern.  Several  of 
those  rescued  had  wounds  more  or  less  severe. 

"  We  should  not  have  much  chance  with  those 
fellows  in  the  water,  Mr.  Parkhurst,"  an  old  sailor 
said  to  Harry. 

"  No,  indeed,  Davis;  they  could  swim  round  and 
round  us,  and  our  cutlasses  would  be  very  little  good 
against  those  ugly-looking  krises.  If  we  were  to 
leave  them  to  themselves,  they  would  fight  to  the 
death;  and,  after  all,  it  was  no  one's  fault  in  par 
ticular.  Mr.  Balderson  and  I  were  watching  them; 
one  was  crossing  the  ship's  bow  just  as  the  other 
came  out  from  her  side,  and  they  were  into  each 
other  before  either  had  time  to  hold  their  boat  up." 

"  That  chap  the  doctor  is  bandaging  up  was  in  a 
nice  taking  about  his  child,  sir;  it  was  a  lucky  job 
that  you  and  Mr.  Balderson  happened  to  catch  sight 
of  her." 

"Yes,  poor  little  thing!  It  was  only  just  a 
glimpse  we  got  of  her  face;  but  as  we  were  looking 
for  her,  and  ready  to  dive,  it  was  enough." 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  7 

"  Lucky  we  are  inside  the  bar,  Mr.  Parkhurst,  or 
the  sharks  would  have  had  half  the  fellows." 

"  I  did  not  think  of  it  at  the  time,  Davis,  and  it 
would  not  have  made  any  difference  if  I  had;  we 
were  only  in  the  water  a  couple  of  minutes,  and  the 
Malays  were  making  noise  enough  to  frighten  away 
any  number  of  sharks.  You  will  have  the  job  of 
washing  out  our  trousers  again — we  had  only  put 
them  on  clean  half  an  hour  before." 

"  That  aint  no  matter,  sir,  especially  if  you  go 
down  and  change  at  once;  the  mud  will  come  out 
easy  enough  if  I  leave  them  in  a  bucket  of  fresh 
water  for  half  an  hour." 

The  two  midshipmen  joined  the  group  of  officers 
who  were  standing  near  the  doctor;  the  latter  had, 
on  closer  examination,  announced  that  four  of  the 
ribs  were  broken.  He  had  finished  his  work  just  as 
the  lads  came  up.  News  had  been  brought  up  by 
the  steward  that  the  little  girl  had  opened  her  eyes; 
while  he  was  speaking,  the  Malay  conversed  rapidly 
with  the  interpreter. 

"What  is  he  saying,  Soh  Hay?"  the  captain 
asked. 

"  He  is  asking  why  his  daughter  is  not  here,  and 
if  she  is  hurt,  and  how  she  came  to  be  saved,"  the 
man  replied.  "  Me  tell  him  she  come  up  to  see  him 
soon ;  the  doctor  say  she  no  hurt." 

Two  minutes  later  the  doctor  reappeared,  carry 
ing  the  child  in  his  arms.  She  looked  round  fear- 


8  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

lessly  at  the  white  faces  until  her  eye  fell  upon  her 
father,  when  she  slipped  out  of  the  doctor's  arms 
like  an  eel  and  ran  to  him.  The  grim  features  of 
the  Malay  lit  up  with  a  pleasant  smile  as  he  held  out 
his  right  hand  to  her.  She  was  a  strange  little 
figure,  for  the  doctor  had  not  waited  to  obtain  any 
suitable  garments  for  her,  but  had  wrapped  her  up 
in  one  of  the  signal  flags,  which  the  child  herself  had 
wound  round  her  waist  and  over  her  shoulder  like  a 
native  sarong. 

"  You  tell  him,  Soh  Hay,  that  he  must  not  talk  to 
her,"  the  doctor  said.  "  If  he  keeps  quiet,  he  will 
get  well  in  short  time :  if  he  talk,  he  ill  many  days ; 
but  I  will  let  him  say  a  few  words  to  her  now." 

The  Malay's  eyes  passed  over  the  group  of  officers 
and  rested  on  the  two  midshipmen,  whose  wet 
clothes  showed  that  they  were  the  officers  who  had, 
as  the  interpreter  had  told  him,  dived  in  and  rescued 
the  child.  He  said  something  to  the  interpreter. 

"  Malay  man  want  to  speak  to  you,  young  gentle 
men,"  the  man  said;  "  he  wish  to  thank  you." 

"  Oh,  tell  him  there  is  nothing  to  thank  us  for," 
Harry  said  hastily;  "  it  was  nothing  more  than  tak 
ing  a  bath." 

;<  Yes,  officer,  but  he  wishes  to  speak  to  you." 

Somewhat  reluctantly,  the  two  lads  approached 
the  side  of  the  injured  man;  he  took  each  of  them 
by  the  hand,  and,  as  he  did  so,  said  something  which 
Soh  Hay  interpreted : 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  9 

"The  chief  says  that  you  have  given  him  back 
what  he  loved  best  in  the  world,  and  that  his  life  is 
yours  whenever  it  may  be  of  use  to  you;  he  may  be 
of  service  to  you,  gentlemen,  should  you  ever  go  up 
the  river — a  Malay  never  forgives  an  injury  or  for 
gets  a  service." 

"  Tell  him  we  are  very  glad  to  have  brought  his 
little  girl  out  of  the  water,"  Harry  said,  "  and  that 
if  we  ever  go  up  the  river,  we  will  pay  him  a 
visit." 

The  chief  was  now  laid  in  a  cot  which  was  swung 
from  the  stanchions  of  the  awning,  while  the  little 
girl  was  carried  away  by  the  doctor,  who  laid  her  in 
a  berth,  gave  her  a  cup  of  tea,  which  she  drank 
obediently  to  his  orders,  but  evidently  regarded  as 
being  extremely  nasty,  and  she  was  then  told  through 
the  interpreter  to  go  to  sleep  until  her  sarong  was 
dried.  A  couple  of  hours  later  she  was  on  deck 
again  in  her  native  garb  and  ornaments.  The  in 
terpreter  pointed  out  to  her  the  two  midshipmen 
who  had  rescued  her,  and  she  at  once  went  up  to 
them,  and,  slipping  her  hands  into  theirs,  began  to 
prattle  freely ;  they  were  unable  to  understand  what 
she  said,  but  they  took  her  round  the  ship,  showing 
her  the  guns,  and  introduced  her  to  Ponto,  the  cap 
tain's  great  Newfoundland,  who  submitted  gravely 
to  be  patted  by  her;  to  Jacko,  the  monkey,  who  was 
by  no  means  disposed  to  be  friendly,  but  chattered 
and  showed  his  teeth;  and  to  Julius  Cassar,  the  negro 


io  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

cook,  who  grinned  from  ear  to  ear,  and  presented  her 
with  some  cakes  from  a  batch  which  he  had  just 
made  for  the  captain's  table. 

The  rest  of  the  Malays  had  already  left  the  ship; 
two  native  boats  had  been  hailed,  and  in  these  the 
two  parties  of  Malays  had  taken  their  places,  and, 
with  their  boats  towing  behind,  had  been  rowed 
away,  the  captain  giving  strict  instructions  that  they 
were  to  be  landed  on  opposite  sides  of  the  river. 
The  little  maid  speedily  became  a  general  pet  &n 
board  the  Serpent,  and  was  soon  the  proud  possessor 
of  several  models  of  ships,  two  patchwork  quilts, 
several  carved  tobacco-boxes,  and  other  specimens 
of  sailors'  handiwork.  Small  as  she  was,  she  had 
evidently  a  strong  idea  of  her  own  importance,  and 
received  these  presents  and  attentions  with  a  pretty 
air  of  dignity  which  at  once  earned  for  her  the  title 
of  the  Princess. 

On  the  second  day  after  the  accident,  the  chief's 
boat  came  off  from  the  shore,  the  damage  having 
been  speedily  and  neatly  repaired.  Little  Bahi  stood 
on  the  top  of  the  accommodation  ladder  as  they  ap 
proached,  and  addressed  them  with  great  asperity, 
using  much  gesticulation  with  her  arms. 

"  What  is  she  saying,  Soh  Hay?  "  Dick  Balderson 
asked. 

"  She  is  telling  them  that  they  are  bad  men  to  let 
the  boat  be  run  down;  that  she  is  very  angry  with 
them,  and  they  will  all  be  punished." 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  n 

The  men  looked  very  crestfallen  under  their  little 
mistress'  reproaches,  and  held  up  their  hands  in  a 
deprecating  manner;  while  the  helmsman  stood  up. 
and,  after  salaaming  deeply,  entered  upon  a  long 
explanation,  which  ended  in  his  asking  if  he  might 
come  on  board  to  see  his  chief.  Permission  was  at 
once  granted  by  the  captain,  upon  the  request  being 
interpreted  to  him.  When  he  mounted  the  steps, 
Bahi  led  him  to  the  side  of  her  father's  cot.  The 
doctor,  however,  interposed. 

"  Tell  him  he  must  not  talk,"  he  said  to  the  inter 
preter;  "  the  chief  is  ill  and  must  not  be  allowed  to 
excite  himself.  But  he  can  say  a  few  words,  if  he 
wants  to." 

The  cot  had  been  lowered  to  within  a  few  inches 
of  the  deck  in  order  that  the  chief  might  watch  his 
daughter  as  she  trotted  about  and  romped  with 
Ponto,  who  had  now  quite  taken  her  into  his  friend 
ship.  The  chief's  face  expressed  alarm  when  he 
first  saw  the  great  dog;  but  when  he  saw  how  gentle 
the  animal  was,  and  how,  when  one  of  the  sailor? 
placed  the  child  on  his  back,  it  walked  gravely  up 
and  down  the  deck,  wagging  its  tail  as  if  pleased 
with  its  novel  burden,  he  was  satisfied  that  no  harm 
could  come  to  her  from  this  formidable-looking  ani 
mal.  He  had  first  spoken  a  few  words  sharply  to 
the  man  it*  answer  to  his  excuses,  and,  indeed,  had 
the  helmsman  been  minding  his  business  instead  of 
looking  at  the  ship,  the  collision  might  have  been 


13  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

prevented;  but  Hassan  Jebash  was  at  the  present 
moment  so  well  contented  with  the  recovery  of  his 
child  that  he  accepted  the  man's  excuses,  and  the 
latter  went  back  to  his  boat  evidently  greatly  re 
lieved. 

In  a  few  days  the  chief  began  to  show  signs  of 
impatience,  and  through  the  interpreter  constantly 
demanded  of  the  doctor  when  he  would  be  well 
enough  to  leave. 

"  You  ask  him,  Soh  Hay,  whether  he  wishes  to 
be  able  to  lead  his  tribe  in  battle  again,  or  to  go 
through  life  unable  to  use  a  krise  or  hurl  a  spear. 
In  another  ten  days,  if  he  remains  quiet,  he  will  be 
able  to  go,  and  in  a  couple  of  months  will  be  as 
strong  and  active  as  ever,  if  he  will  but  keep  quiet 
until  the  bones  have  knit.  Surely  a  chief  is  not  like 
an  impatient  child,  ready  to  risk  everything  for  the 
sake  of  avoiding  a  little  trouble." 

The  chief,  on  this  being  translated  to  him, 
scowled  angrily. 

"  Tell  him  it  is  of  no  use  his  scowling  at  me,  Soh 
Hay.  I  am  not  doctoring  him  for  my  own  amuse 
ment,  but  for  his  good,  and  because  he  is  the  father 
of  that  little  child." 

The  chief,  when  this  was  translated  to  him,  lay 
without  speaking  for  two  or  three  minutes,  and  then 
said  quietly,  "  Tell  the  doctor  I  am  sorry;  he  is  right, 
and  I  have  been  foolish.  I  will  stay  till  he  says  I 
may  go." 


CHAPTER  II. 

FOUR  or  five  days  later  the  chief  was  allowed  to 
get  up  and  to  walk  quietly  up  and  down  the  deck, 
and  a  week  afterwards  the  doctor  said,  "  You  can 
go  now,  chief,  if  you  desire  it;  but  you  must  be  con 
tent  to  keep  quiet  for  another  couple  of  months,  and 
not  make  any  great  exertions  or  move  quickly. 
How  long  will  it  take  you  to  go  up  the  river  to  your 
home?" 

"  Six  days'  easy  paddling." 

"  Well,  that  is  in  your  favor;  but  do  not  travel 
fast.  Take  it  quietly,  and  be  as  long  as  you  can  on 
the  voyage — lying  in  a  canoe  is  as  good  a  rest  as  you 
can  take." 

"  Thank  you,  Doctor,  I  will  obey  your  instruc 
tions.  You  have  all  been  very  kind  to  me,  and  a 
Malay  chief  never  forgets  benefits.  I  have  been 
hostile  to  the  white  men,  but  now  I  see  I  have  been 
mistaken,  and  that  you  are  good  and  kind.  Is  it 
true  that  your  boat  is  going  up  the  river  ?  Soh  Hay 
tells  me  that  it  is  so." 

"  Yes;  one  of  the  chiefs,  Sehi  Pahdash,  wishes  to 
place  himself  under  our  protection,  and  he  has  sent 
to  ask  that  the  ship  might  go  up  and  fire  her  big 


I4  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

guns,  that  the  tribes  round  may  see  that  he  has 
strong  friends  who  can  help  him." 

"  It  is  two  days'  rowing  up  the  river  to  my  place 
from  his,  and  when  you  are  there  I  shall  come  down 
to  see  you.  Sehi  is  not  a  good  chief;  he  quarrels 
with  his  neighbors,  and  shelters  their  slaves  who 
run  away  to  him;  he  is  not  a  good  man." 

"  Well,  we  shall  all  be  glad  to  see  you,  chief,  and 
I  hope  that  you  will  bring  your  daughter  with  you. 
She  has  won  all  our  hearts,  and  we  shall  miss  her 
sadly." 

"  I  will  bring  her  if  I  can  do  so  safely,"  the  chief 
said  gravely;  "but  I  am  no  friends  with  Sehi;  he 
stops  my  trade  as  it  comes  down  the  river,  and  takes 
payment  for  all  goods  that  pass  down.  It  is  because 
he  knows  that  many  of  us  are  angered  that  he  wishes 
to  put  himself  under  your  protection.  I  think  that 
you  do  not  do  well  to  aid  so  bad  a  fellow." 

"  We  did  not  know  that  he  was  a  bad  fellow, 
chief.  The  best  plan  will  be  for  you  and  the  other 
chiefs  who  are  aggrieved  to  send  down  complaints 
against  him,  or  to  come  down  yourselves  when  we 
are  up  there  and  talk  it  over  with  our  Captain,  who 
will  doubtless  impress  upon  Sehi  the  necessity  for 
abstaining  from  such  practices,  and  that  he  cannot 
expect  aid  from  us  if  he  embroils  himself  with  his 
neighbors  by  interfering  with  their  trade.  Is  he 
strong?" 

"  He  has  many  war  prahus,  which  sometimes 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  15 

come  down  to  the  sea  and  return  with  plunder,  either 
collected  from  the  cultivators  near  the  coast  or  from 
trading  ships  captured  and  burnt." 

"  I  will  mention  what  you  tell  me  to  the  Captain, 
and  it  will  prepare  him  to  listen  to  any  complaint 
that  may  be  made  to  him.  But  you  must  remember 
that  he  is  only  acting  under  the  orders  of  the  Gov 
ernor  of  the  Straits  Settlements,  and  must  refer  all 
important  matters  to  him." 

"  I  will  come  when  you  are  there,"  Hassan  said 
gravely.  "  If  nothing  is  done,  there  will  be  war." 

There  was  general  regret  on  board  the  Serpent 
when  the  little  princess  said  good-by  to  all  her 
friends  and  went  down  the  accommodation  ladder 
to  the  boat  with  her  father.  The  chief  had  said  but 
little  to  the  two  young  midshipmen,  for  he  saw  that 
they  preferred  that  the  matter  should  not  be  alluded 
to,  but  he  held  their  hands  at  parting,  and  said : 

"  I  shall  see  you  again  before  long;  but  if  at  any 
time  you  should  want  me,  I  will  come,  even  if  your 
summons  reach  me  in  the  middle  of  a  battle." 

"  It  is  such  nonsense,  Doctor,"  Harry  said,  as  the 
boat  pushed  off,  "  to  have  so  much  made  of  such  a 
thing  as  jumping  into  the  water.  If  one  had  been 
alone,  and  had'  tried  to  save  a  man  or  a  woman,  in 
such  a  state  of  funk  that  there  was  a  good  chance  of 
their  throwing  their  arms  round  your  neck  and  pull 
ing  you  down  with  them,  there  might  be  something 
in  it,  though  everyone  takes  his  chance  of  that  when 


1 6  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

he  jumps  in  to  save  anyone  from  drowning;  but  with 
a  little  child,  and  two  of  us  to  do  it,  and  the  ship 
close  at  hand,  it  was  not  worth  thinking  of  for  a 
moment." 

"  No,  Parkhurst,  from  your  point  of  view  the 
thing  was  not,  as  you  say,  worth  giving  a  thought 
to;  but,  you  see,  that  is  not  the  point  of  view  of  the 
chief.  To  him  it  is  nothing  whether  your  exploit 
was  a  gallant  one  or  not,  or  whether  you  ran  any 
danger;  the  point  simply  is,  his  child  would  have 
been  drowned  had  you  not  seen  her  and  fished  her 
out,  and  that  it  is  to  you  that  he  owes  her  life.  I 
think  you  have  reason  to  congratulate  yourselves  on 
having  made  a  friend  who  may  be  very  useful  to  you. 
It  may  be  that  there  will  be  trouble  up  the  river;  and 
if  so,  he  might  possibly  be  of  real  service  to  you. 
But  in  any  case  he  may  be  able  to  give  you  some 
good  hunting  and  fishing,  and  show  you  things  that 
you  would  never  have  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
without  his  friendship  and  assistance." 

"  I  did  not  think  of  that,  Doctor;  yes,  that  would 
certainly  be  a  great  thing." 

"  I  can  assure  you  I  look  at  it  in  that  light  myself, 
Parkhurst,  and  I  am  looking  forward  to  paying  him 
a  visit,  as,  under  his  protection,  I  should  get  oppor 
tunities  of  collecting  which  I  could  never  have  in 
the  ordinary  way;  for,  unless  they  are  greatly  ma 
ligned,  one  could  not  trust  one's  self  among  the  Ma 
lays  without  some  special  protection." 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  17 

"  But  they  are  not  savages,  Doctor.  Hassan  is  a 
perfect  gentleman  in  manner,  and  in  that  silk  jacket 
of  his  and  handsome  sarong  he  really  looks  like  a 
prince.  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  all  of  us 
looked  poor  creatures  by  his  side." 

"  They  certainly  cannot  be  called  savages,  though 
from  our  point  of  view  many  of  their  customs  are 
of  a  very  savage  nature.  Piracy  is  very  general 
among  those  living  on  the  seacoast  or  on  the  great 
rivers;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  not  so 
very  many  centuries  ago  that  a  toll  was  demanded 
of  all  passers-by  by  the  barons  having  castles  on  the 
Rhine  and  other  navigable  rivers;  the  crews  of 
wrecked  ships  were  plundered  on  every  coast  of  Eu 
rope,  our  own  included,  not  so  very  long  ago;  and 
in  the  days  of  Elizabeth,  Drake  and  Hawkins  were 
regarded  by  the  Spaniards  as  pirates  of  the  worst 
class,  and  I  fear  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  justice 
in  the  accusation.  But  the  Malays  are  people  with 
a  history;  they  believe  themselves  that  they  were  the 
original  inhabitants  of  the  island  of  Sumatra;  how 
ever,  it  is  certain  that  in  the  twelfth  century  they  had 
extended  their  rule  over  the  whole  of  that  island  and 
many  of  its  neighbors,  and  in  the  thirteenth  had 
established  themselves  on  this  peninsula  and  had 
founded  an  empire  extending  over  the  greater  part 
of  the  islands  down  to  the  coast  of  Australia.  They 
had  by  this  time  acquired  the  civilization  of  India, 
and  their  sultans  were  powerful  monarchs.  They 


1 8  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

carried  on  a  great  trade  with  China,  Hindoostan,  and 
Siam,  and  their  maritime  code  was  regulated  and 
confirmed,  as  early  as  1276,  by  Mohammed  Shah." 

"  How  is  it  that  they  have  come  to  such  grief, 
Doctor?" 

"  Principally  by  the  fact  that  they  had  the  feudal, 
or  you  may  call  it  the  tribal,  system.  Each  petty 
chief  and  his  followers  made  war  on  his  neighbors 
if  he  was  strong  enough;  and  as  some  tribes  con* 
quered  others,  the  empire  became  split  up  into  an 
indefinite  number  of  clans,  whose  chiefs  paid  but  a 
very  nominal  allegiance  to  the  sultan.  So  islands 
broke  off  from  the  empire  until  it  had  practically 
ceased  to  exist,  and  the  Malays  were  a  people  united 
only  by  similar  customs  and  language,  but  in  no 
other  respect,  and  were,  therefore,  able  to  offer  but 
slight  resistance  on  the  arrival  of  the  Dutch  and 
Portuguese  in  these  regions.  Still,  the  upper  classes 
preserve  the  memory  of  their  former  greatness. 
The  people  are  intelligent,  and  most  of  the  trade  in 
this  part  of  the  world  is  carried  on  by  them.  They 
are  enterprising,  and  ready  to  emigrate  if  they  see  a 
chance  of  improving  their  fortunes.  You  know  we 
saw  many  of  them  at  the  Cape  when  we  touched 
there.  Nominally  they  are  Mohammedans  in  re 
ligion;  but  they  do  not  strictly  observe  the  ordi 
nances  of  the  Koran,  and  their  Mohammedanism  is 
mixed  up  with  traces  of  their  original  religion." 

"Ah,  that  explains  why  the  chief's  name  was 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  19 

Hassan.  I  wandered  that  a  Malay  should  have  a 
Mohammedan  name.  They  are  not  much  like 
Arabs  in  figure.  Of  course,  Hassan  is  a  very  fine- 
looking  man,  and  some  of  the  other  chiefs  we  saw  at 
Penang  were  so;  but  most  of  them  are  shorter  than 
we  are,  and  very  ugly." 

"  Yes,  in  figure  and  some  other  points  they  much 
resemble  the  Burmese,  who  are  probably  blood-rela 
tions  of  theirs.  The  chiefs  are  finer  men,  as  you 
will  always  find  in  the  case  in  savage  or  semi-savage 
peoples,  for,  of  course,  they  have  the  pick  of  the 
women,  and  naturally  choose  the  best-looking. 
Their  food,  too,  is  better  and  their  work  less  rough 
than  that  of  the  people  at  large. 

"  The  sons  and  daughters  of  the  chiefs  naturally 
intermarry,  and  the  result  is  that  in  most  cases  you 
will  find  the  upper  classes  taller,  better  formed, 
lighter  in  color,  and  of  greater  intelligence  than  the 
rest  of  the  people.  This  would  be  specially  the  case 
in  a  trading  people  like  the  Malays;  their  ships 
would  bring  over  girls  purchased  in  India,  just  as 
the  ruling  classes  in  Turkey  used  to  obtain  their 
wives  from  Circassia;  and  this,  no  doubt,  has  helped 
to  modify  the  original  Malay  type." 

"  Thank  you,  Doctor ;  I  think  I  shall  like  the  Ma 
lays  now  I  know  something  about  them.  Is  it  true 
that  they  are  so  treacherous  ?  " 

"I  don't  know,  Parkhurst;  doubtless  they  are 
treacherous  in  their  wars;  that  is  to  say  that  they 


*»  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

consider  any  means  fair  to  deceive  an  enemy;  but  I 
do  not  think  that  they  are  so,  beyond  that.  The 
Dutch  have  never  had  any  very  great  difficulty  with 
them,  nor  have  we  in  the  portion  of  the  peninsula 
where  we  have  established  our  rule.  Of  course,  I 
know  little  about  them  myself,  as  I  have  only  been 
out  here  a  few  months;  but  I  am  told  that  as  traders 
they  can  be  trusted,  and  that  the  word  of  a  Malay 
chief  can  be  taken  with  absolute  confidence.  Of 
course,  among  the  majority  of  the  people  of  the 
peninsula  we  are  regarded  with  jealousy  and  hos 
tility — they  dread  that  we  should  extend  our  do 
minion  over  them,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  they 
should  by  every  means  in  their  power  strive  to  pre 
vent  our  coming  far  inland.  The  chiefs  on  the 
rivers  are,  as  a  rule,  specially  hostile. 

"  In  the  first  place,  because  their  towns  and  vil 
lages  are  more  accessible  to  us,  and  they  know  more 
of  our  power  than  those  dwelling  in  the  hill-country; 
and,  secondly,  because  they  depend  largely  upon  the 
revenue  that  they  derive  from  taxing  all  goods  pass 
ing  up  and  down,  and  which  they  not  unreasonably 
think  they  might  lose  if  we  were  to  become  para 
mount.  No  doubt  there  is  much  that  Hassan  said 
of  Sehi  that  is  true  and  is  applicable  to  other  chiefs 
who  have  placed  themselves  under  our  protection — 
namely,  that  they  have  so  injured  trade  by  their 
exactions  as  to  incur  the  hostility  of  their  neighbors. 
Of  course,  I  am  not  speaking  of  such  men  as  the 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  21 

Rajahs  of  Johore  and  Perac,  who  are  enlightened 
men,  and  have  seen  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from 
intercourse  with  us.  Their  people  are  agricult 
urists,  and  they  are  really  on  a  par  with  the  protected 
states  in  India. 

"  There  is  a  great  future  before  the  country;  gold 
is  found  in  many  of  the  rivers,  tin  is  probably  more 
abundant  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  and 
the  exports  are  now  very  large;  there  are  immense 
quantities  of  valuable  timber,  such  as  teak,  sandal- 
wood,  and  ebony.  The  climate  is,  except  on  the  low 
land  near  the  rivers,  very  healthy;  nutmegs,  cloves, 
and  other  spices  can  be  grown  there,  and  indigo, 
chocolate,  pepper,  opium,  the  sugar-cane,  coffee,  and 
cotton,  are  all  successfully  cultivated.  Some  day, 
probably,  the  whole  peninsula  will  fall  under  our 
protection,  and  when  the  constant  tribal  feuds  are 
put  a  stop  to,  the  forests  cleared,  and  the  ground 
cultivated,  as  is  the  case  in  our  own  settlement  of 
Malacca,  it  will  be  found  one  of  the  most  valuable 
of  our  possessions.  Any  amount  of  labor  can  be  ob 
tained  from  China,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  races 
who  inhabit  the  mountainous  districts,  who  are  said 
to  be  industrious  and  peaceable,  will  also  readily 
adapt  themselves  to  the  changed  conditions.  They 
are  not  Malays  like  the  people  of  the  lowlands,  but 
are  a  black  race  with  curly  wool,  like  the  natives  of 
Africa,  and  probably  inhabited  the  whole  peninsula 
before  the  arrival  of  the  Malays." 


§>  4MONL    MALAY  PIRATES. 

"  How  funny  that  there  should  be  niggers  here," 
Harry  said. 

"  They  are  not  exactly  negroes,  but  one  of  the 
races  known  as  negritos,  having,  of  course,  many 
negro  characteristics,  but  differing  from  the  African 
negroes  in  some  imjK»rtant  particulars.  To  them 
our  supremacy  would  be  an  unmixed  blessing;  their 
products  would  reach  the  coast  untaxed,  and  they 
would  obtain  all  European  goods  at  vastly  cheaper 
rates.  A  minor  benefit  to  be  obtained  by  our  su 
premacy  is  that  our  sportsmen  would  certainly 
speedily  diminish  the  number  of  wild  beasts  that  at 
present  are  a  scourge  to  cultivators;  the  tigers  would 
be  killed  down,  the  elephants  captured  and  utilized, 
and  the  poor  people  would  not  see  their  plantations 
ravaged,  but  would  be  able  to  travel  through  their 
forests  without  the  constant  danger  of  being  carried 
off  by  tigers  and  panthers,  and  possibly  be  able  to 
cross  their  rivers  without  the  risk  of  being  snapped 
up  by  alligators;  though,  doubtless,  it  would  take 
some  time  before  this  would  be  brought  about." 

"  And  when  do  you  think  that  we  shall  be  going 
up  the  river,  Doctor?  " 

"  That  I  cannot  say.  The  Captain  has  been  ex: 
pecting  orders  ever  since  we  came  here,  six  weeks 
ago;  but  possibly  something  may  have  been  learned 
of  Sehi's  characteristics,  and  there  may  be  doubts  as 
to  the  expediency  of  taking  under  our  protection  a 
chief  whose  conduct  appears  to  be  anything  but  sai*6» 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  23 

factory.  On  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  considered 
that  by  so  doing  we  may  establish  some  sort  of  in 
fluence  over  the  surrounding  tribes,  and  so  make  a 
step  towards  promoting  trade  and  putting  a  stop  to 
these  tribal  wars,  that  are  the  curse  of  the  country." 

"  It  would  be  an  awful  sell  if  they  were  to  change 
their  minds,"  Harry  exclaimed. 

"  I  should  be  sorry  myself,  Parkhurst,  for  you 
know  I  am  a  collector.  But  I  can  tell  you  that  you 
won't  find  it  all  sport  and  pleasure.  You  will  have 
no  cool  sea-breezes;  there  -./ill  be  occasion  for  con 
tinual  watchfulness,  and  perhaps  long  boat  expedi 
tions  up  sluggish  streams,  in  an  atmosphere  laden 
with  moisture  and  miasma." 

"  One  expects  some  drawbacks,  Doctor." 

"  You  will  find  a  good  many,  I  can  tell  you, 
youngster.  Still,  I  hope  we  shall  go  up;  and  I  think 
that  we  shall  do  so,  for  it  will  be  the  Captain's  re 
port  that  will  help  the  authorities  to  decide  whether 
to  appoint  a  Resident  there  or  not." 

A  fortnight  later  a  stjall  dispatch  boat  steamed 
in,  and  the  news  soon  spread  through  the  ship  that 
the  Serpent  was  to  ascend  the  river  on  the  following 
day.  All  was  at  once  bustle  and  animation. 
Sailors  like  anything  for  a  change,  and  all  were  im 
patient  at  the  long  delay  that  had  occurred 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  gunboat  was  a  large  one,  and  carried  two 
midshipmen  besides  Parkhurst  and  Balderson,  who 
were,  however,  their  seniors.  The  mess  consisted  of 
the  four  lads,  a  master's  mate,  the  doctor's  assistant, 
and  the  paymaster's  clerk.  In  the  gun-room  were 
the  three  lieutenants,  the  doctor,  the  lieutenant  of 
the  marines,  and  the  chief  engineer.  The  crew  con 
sisted  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  seamen  and  forty  ma 
rines;  the  Serpent  having  a  somewhat  strong  com 
plement.  She  had  been  sent  out  specially  for  service 
in  the  rivers,  being  of  lighter  draught  than  usual, 
with  unusually  airy  and  spacious  decks,  and  so  was 
well  fitted  for  the  work. 

The  conversation  in  the  junior  mess  of  the  Ser 
pent  was  very  lively  that  evening..  The  vessel  since 
her  arrival  on  the  station  had  made  two  runs  between 
Singapore  and  Penang,  but  those  on  board  had  seen 
but  little  of  the  country,  and  were  delighted  at  the 
thought  of  a  possibility  of  active  service,  and  the 
talk  was  all  of  boat  expeditions,  attacks  from  pirati 
cal  prahus,  of  the  merits  of  the  bayonet  and  rifle 
opposed  to  kris  and  spear,  and  of  sporting  expedi 
tions  in  which  elephants,  tigers,  and  other  wild 
beasts  were  to  fall  victims  of  their  prowess. 

"  You  will  find  that  you  won't  get  much  of  that," 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  25 

the  mate,  who  was  president  of  the  mess,  said,  after 
listening  to  their  anticipations  of  sport.  "  I  have 
been  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa  and  know  what  it 
is  poking  about  in  muddy  creeks  in  boats,  tramping 
through  the  jungle,  knee-deep  in  mud,  half  the  crew 
down  with  fever,  and  the  rest  worn  out  with  work 
and  heat.  I  can  tell  you  it  is  not  all  fun,  as  you 
youngsters  seem  to  think,  but  downright  hard 
work." 

"  Ah,  well !  any  amount  of  work  is  better  than 
standing  here  doing  nothing,"  Dick  said  cheerfully, 
for  the  mate  was  known  as  a  proverbial  grumbler. 
He  had  been  unfortunate,  and,  as  is  usually  the  case, 
his  misfortunes  were  in  some  degree  due  to  himself, 
for  he  was  fond  of  liquor,  and  although,  when  on 
board,  he  took  no  more  than  his  share,  he  was  often 
somewhat  unsteady  in  his  speech  when  he  returned 
from  a  run  ashore;  and  although  the  matter  was  not 
grave  enough  for  his  captains  to  report  altogether 
unfavorably  of  him,  it  was  sufficiently  so  for  them 
to  shrink  from  recommending  him  for  promotion, 
and  in  consequence  he  had  seen  scores  of  younger 
men  raised  over  his  head.  He  had  been  for  some  time 
unemployed  before  he  had  joined  the  Serpent,  and 
had  been  appointed  to  her  only  because  Captain 
Forest,  who  was  a  friend  of  his  family,  had  used  his 
interest  on  his  behalf.  He  had,  however,  when  he 
joined,  spoken  frankly  to  him. 

"I  have  asked   for  you,   Morrison,"   he   said, 


26  AMONG  MsiLAY  I' I  RATES. 

"  simply  for  the  sake  of  your  father;  but  I  tell  you 
frankly,  that  unless  my  report  is  a  thoroughly  fav 
orable  one,  you  are  not  likely  to  be  again  employed. 
I  was  told  that  there  was  nothing  special  against 
you,  but  that  in  no  case  since  you  passed  have  you 
been  warmly  spoken  of.  It  has  been  said  that  you 
know  your  duty  well ;  but  they  had  privately  learned 
that  you  were  fond  of  liquor;  and  although  no 
charge  of  absolute  drunkenness  had  been  brought 
against  you,  it  was  considered  that  you  would -not 
make  a  desirable  officer  in  a  higher  rank.  Now 
your  future  depends  upon  yourself;  if  you  have  the 
resolution  to  give  up  the  habit,  you  may  yet  retrieve 
yourself.  If  I  find  that  you  do  so,  I  shall  certainly 
take  the  opportunity  of  giving  you  a  chance  to  dis 
tinguish  yourself,  and  shall  strongly  urge  your  claim 
to  promotion.  If  I  am  not  able  to  do  this,  you  must 
make  up  your  mind  to  be  permanently  put  upon  the 
shelf." 

The  admonition  had  not  been  in  vain,  and  since 
joining  the  Serpent  Morrison  had  made  a  successful 
effort  to  break  himself  of  the  habit.  He  had  very 
seldom  gone  ashore,  and  when  he  did  so,  never  went 
alone,  and  always  returned  at  an  early  hour,  and 
without  having  taken  more  than  he  would  have  done 
in  the  ordinary  way  on  board.  He  had  not,  how 
ever,  given  up  his  habit  of  grumbling,  and  his  mess 
mates  were  so  accustomed  to  his  taking  a  somber 
view  of  everything  that  his  prognostication  as  to  the 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  2} 

fcature  of  their  work  up  the  river  had  but  little  effect 
upon  them. 

"  What  do  you  think,  Sandy?  "  Harry  Parkhurst 
asked  the  Scotch  assistant  surgeon. 

"  I  know  nothing  about  it,  except  what  I  havfi 
read.  They  say  that  the  country  is  healthy;  but  it 
stands  to  reason  that  this  cannot  be  so  while  you 
have  got  rivers  with  swamps  and  jungles  and  such 
heat  as  this.  However,  we  have  a  good  supply  of 
quinine  on  board,  and  with  that  and  our  allowance 
of  spirits,  I  hope  that  we  shan't,  as  Morrison  says, 
have  half  the  ship's  company  down  with  the  fever. 
It  is  all  in  our  favor  that  we  have  only  just  come  out, 
for  they  say  that  newcomers  can  resist  the  effects  of 
these  tropical  rivers  much  better  than  those  whose 
constitution  has  been  weakened  by  a  residence  in  the 
country.  As  to  the  sport,  I  have  ho  desire  to  kill 
any  animal  that  does  not  meddle  with  me.  My  busi 
ness  is  all  the  other  way,  and  if  any  of  you  get 
mauled,  I  will  do  my  best  to  help  the  doctor  to  pull 
you  through ;  but  I  am  very  well  on  board  the  ship, 
and  have  no  desire  to  go  tramping  about  among  the 
swamps,  whether  it  be  to  hunt  animals  or  fight 
Malays." 

'  You  think  that  everyone  should  stick  to  his  last, 
Sandy,"  Dick  said  with  a  laugh.  "  Well,  I  only 
•wish  there  were  more  on  board  of  your  opinion,  for 
that  would  give  more  chancels  to  us  who  like  to 
stretch  our  legs  ashore  for  a  change." 


28  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

"  I  can  stretch  my  legs  here  if  I  want  to,"  the 
Scotchman  said  quietly,  "  and  am  not  anxious  to  do 
more.  I  suppose,  if  there  are  expeditions  against 
the  Malays,  I  shall  have  to  go  with  them;  but  the 
fewer  of  them  there  are  the  better  I  shall  be  pleased." 

The  talk  was  more  serious  aft,  where  the  doctor 
and  first  lieutenant  were  dining  with  the  captain. 
It  ended  by  the  latter  saying,  "  Well,  Doctor,  if  what 
your  friend  Hassan  said  be  true,  we  are  likely 
enough  to  have  our  hands  pretty  full,  and  shall  have 
to  watch  this  fellow  Sehi  as  sharply  as  we  do  his 
neighbors.  He  is  not  under  our  protection  yet,  and 
if  he  sends  his  prahus  down  the  river  to  plunder  on 
the  coast,  as  Hassan  says,  he  is  not  the  sort  of  char 
acter  likely  to  do  us  credit,  and  the  position  of  a 
British  Resident  with  him  would  be  the  reverse  of 
a  pleasant  one.  However,  we  must  hope  that  he  is 
not  as  black  as  he  is  painted.  He  has  evidently  put 
the  other  chiefs'  backs  up,  and  we  must  receive  their 
reports  of  him  with  some  doubt.  However,  I  have 
no  doubt  that,  if  he  turns  out  badly,  we  shall  be  able 
to  give  him  a  lesson  that  will  be  of  benefit  to  him." 

The  first  day's  voyage  up  the  river  by  no  means 
came  up  to  the  anticipations  of  the  midshipmen  as 
to  the  country  through  which  they  were  to  pass. 
The  width  of  the  river  varied  from  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  to  three  hundred  yards;  the  banks  on  each  side 
were  lined  with  mangroves,  presenting  a  dreary  and 
monotonous  aspect.  Progress  was  slow,  the  steam 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  29 

launch  going  ahead  and  sounding  the  depth  of 
water,  the  captain  having  but  little  faith  in  the  as 
sertion  of  the  native  pilot  that  he  was  perfectly  ac 
quainted  with  every  bank  and  shallow.  Being  now 
the  dry  season,  the  tops  of  many  of  these  shoals 
were  dry,  and  numbers  of  alligators  were  lying  half 
in  and  half  out  of  the  water,  basking  in  the  sun. 

Several  of  the  officers  who  possessed  rifles  amused 
themselves  by  shooting  at  these  creatures,  but  it  was 
very  rarely  that  any  attention  was  paid  to  their  fir 
ing,  the  balls  glancing  off  the  scaly  armor  without 
the  alligators  appearing  to  be  conscious  of  anything 
unusual.  There  was  more  amusement  in  watching 
how,  when  the  swell  of  the  steamer  rushed  through 
the  shallow  water  and  broke  on  the  shoals,  the  rep 
tiles  turned  and  scrambled  back  into  the  river,  evi 
dently  alarmed  at  this,  to  them,  strange  phenomenon. 

"  I  should  not  care  about  bathing  here,  Davis," 
Harry  Parkhurst  remarked  to  the  old  sailor. 

"  You  are  right,  sir;  I  would  rather  have  a  stand- 
up  fight  with  the  Malays  than  trust  myself  for  two 
minutes  in  this  muddy  water.  Why,  they  are  worse 
than  sharks,  sir;  a  shark  does  hoist  his  fin  as  a  signal 
that  he  is  cruising  about,  but  these  chaps  come 
sneaking  along  underneath  the  water,  and  the  first 
you  know  about  them  is  that  they  have  got  you  by 
the  leg." 

"  Which  is  the  worse,  Davis,  a  bite  from  an  alli 
gator  or  a  shark  ?  " 


30  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

"  Well,  as  far  as  the  bite  goes,  Mr.  Parkhurst, 
the  shark  is  the  worst.  He  will  take  your  leg  off, 
or  a  big  'tin  will  bite  a  man  in  two  halves.  The  alli 
gator  don't  go  to  work  that  way:  he  gets  hold  of 
your  leg,  and  no  doubt  he  mangles  it  a  bit;  but  he 
don't  bite  right  through  the  bone;  he  just  takes  hold 
of  you  and  drags  you  down  to  the  bottom  of  the 
river,  and  keeps  you  there  until  you  are  drowned; 
then  he  polishes  you  off  at  his  leisure." 

"  The  brutes !  "  Harry  exclaimed,  with  deep  em 
phasis.  "  See,  the  first  lieutenant  has  hit  that  big 
fellow  there  in  the  eye  or  the  soft  skin  behind  the 
leg;  anyhow,  he  has  got  it  hard;  look  how  he  is  roar 
ing  and  lasbing  his  tail." 

"  What  is  the  best  way  of  killing  them?  "  Dick 
asked. 

"  I  have  heard.  *ir,  that  in  Africa  the  natives  bait 
a  big  hook  with  a  lump  of  pork,  or  something  of  that 
sort;  then,  when  an  alligator  has  swallowed  it,  they 
haul  him  up,  holus  bolus.  I  should  say  a  good  plan 
to  kill  them  would  be  with  'tricity.  The  last  ship  I 
was  in,  we  had  an  officer  of  the  Marine  Artillery 
who  knew  about  such  things,  and  he  put  a  big  car 
tridge  into  a  lump  of  pork,  with  two  wires,  and  as 
soon  as  the  shark  had  swallowed  it  he  would  touch 
a  spring  or  something,  and  there  would  be  an  explo 
sion.  There  was  not  as  much  fun  in  it  as  having  a 
hook,  but  it  was  quicker,  and  he  did  not  do  it  for 
sport,  but  because  he  hated  the  sharks.  I  heard  say 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  31 

that  he  had  had  a  young  brother  killed  by  one  of 
them.  He  would  sit  there  on  the  taffrail  for  hours 
on  the  look-out  for  them,  with  three  or  four  loaded 
lumps  of  pork.  Why,  I  have  known  him  kill  as 
many  as  a  dozen  in  a  day.  I  expect  the  best  part  of 
his  pay  must  have  gone  in  dynamite. 

"  He  had  a  narrow  escape  one  day;  somehow  the 
thing  went  wrong,  and  in  trying  to  set  it  right  he 
fell  over  the  taffrail.  The  shark  had  bolted  the  bait, 
but  this  was  not  enough  for  his  appetite,  and  he 
went  straight  at  the  officer.  He  had  had  a  young 
ensign  sitting  beside  him,  who  had  often  watched 
his  work,  and  knew  how  the  thing  went.  I  was 
standing  near  at  the  time,  and  he  began  twisting 
some  screws  and  things  as  cool  as  a  cucumber, 
though  I  could  see  as  his  hand  shook  a  bit.  Well, 
he  got  it  right  just  in  time,  for  the  shark  was  not 
half  a  length  away  from  the  captain,  and  was  turn 
ing  himself  over  for  a  bite,  when  the  thing  went  off, 
and  there  was  an  end  of  the  shark.  The  captain  was 
a  bit  shaken  up,  but  he  made  a  grab  at  the  rope,  and 
held  on  to  it  till  we  lowered  a  boat  and  picked  him 
up.  He  had  to  be  got  up  on  deck  in  a  chair,  and  it 
was  two  or  three  days  before  he  was  himself  again. 
When  he  got  round  he  set  to  work  again  more  earn 
estly  than  ever ;  and  I  believe  that  if  we  had  stopped 
in  the  West  Indies  long  enough,  there  would  not 
have  been  a  shark  left  in  those  waters." 

"  It  was  a  capital  plan,  Davis,  and  if  we  ever  take 


32  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

possession  of  these  rivers,  we  shall  have  to  do  some 
thing  of  that  sort  to  get  rid  of  the  brutes.  Are  the 
Malays  afraid  of  them  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  Mr.  Parkhurst,  but  I  think  they 
are.  I  had  a  chat  with  a  mate  I  met  in  the  Myrtle, 
which  went  home  the  day  after  we  relieved  them 
here.  He  had  been  up  some  of  the  rivers,  and  told 
me  that  every  village  had  a  bathing-place  palisaded 
off  so  that  the  alligators  could  not  get  at  the 
bathers." 

"  Well,  there  is  one  thing — we  shall  have  to  be 
very  careful  when  we  are  out  in  boats,  for  if  we  were 
to  run  upon  a  sunken  log  and  knock  a  hole  in  the 
boat's  bottom,  there  would  not  be  much  chance  of 
our  ever  reaching  the  shore." 

"  You  are  about  right  there,  sir.  I  aint  afraid  of 
Malays,  but  it  gives  me  the  creeps  down  my  back 
when  I  think  of  one  of  them  chaps  getting  hold  of 
me  by  the  leg.  Bob  Pearson  told  me  that  the  only 
chance  you  have  is  to  send  your  knife,  or  if  you  can't 
get  at  that,  your  thumbs,  into  the  creature's  eyes. 
But  it  would  require  a  mighty  cool  hand  to  find  the 
eyes,  with  the  brute's  teeth  in  one's  leg,  and  the 
water  so  thick  with  mud  that  you  could  not  see  an 
inch  beyond  your  nose." 

"  Well,  I  will  make  a  note  of  that,  anyhow,  Davis, 
and  I  will  take  a  good  look  at  the  next  alligator  I 
see  dead,  so  as  to  know  exactly  where  to  feel  for  its 
eyes." 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  33 

On  the  second  day  the  scenery  changed.  In  place 
of  the  mangroves  a  dense  forest  lined  the  river. 
Birds  of  lovely  plumage  occasionally  flew  across  it, 
and  after  they  had  anchored  in  the  evening,  the  air 
became  full  of  strange  noises;  great  beasts  rose  and 
snorted  near  the  banks;  sounds  of  roaring  and 
growling  were  heard  in  the  wood;  and  the  lads,  who 
had  been  so  eager  before  to  take  part  in  a  hunt  on 
shore,  listened  with  something  like  awe  to  the  vari 
ous  strange  and  often  mysterious  noises. 

"What  in  the  world  does  it  all  mean,  Doctor?" 
Dick  Balderson  asked,  as  the  surgeon  came  up  to  the 
spot  where  the  four  midshipmen  were  leaning  on  the 
rail. 

"  It  means  that  there  is  a  good  deal  of  life  in  the 
woods.  That  splashing  sound  you  hear  with  deep 
grunts  and  snorts,  is  probably  made  by  a  hippo 
potamus  wallowing  in  shallow  water;  but  it  may  be 
a  rhinoceros,  or  even  a  buffalo.  That  roar  is  either 
a  tiger  or  a  panther,  and  that  snarling  sound  on  the 
other  bank  is,  no  doubt,  made  by  smaller  animals  of 
the  same  family,  indulging  in  a  domestic  quarrel. 
Some  of  the  other  sounds  are  made  by  night  birds  of 
some  kind  or  other  and  perhaps  by  monkeys,  and  I 
fancy  that  distant  vibrating  sound  that  goes  on  with 
out  intermission  is  a  concert  of  a  party  of  frogs." 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  as  a  shrill  cry,  as  from  a  child, 
followed  by  a  confused  outburst  of  cries,  chattering, 
and,  as  it  seemed  to  them,  a  barking  sound,  followed. 


MALAY  PIRATES. 

*"T  fancy  that  is  the  death-cry  of  a  monkey. 
Probably  some  python  or  other  snake  has  seized  it 
in  its  sleep;  and  the  other  noise  is  the  outcry  of  its 
companions  heaping  abuse  upon  the  snake,  but  un 
able  to  do  anything  to  rescue  their  friend." 

"  I  don't  think,  Doctor,"  Harry  Parkhurst  said, 
in  a  tone  that  was  half  in  earnest,  "  that  I  feel  so 
anxious  as  I  did  for  sport  in  the  forest ;  and  certainly 
I  should  decline  to  take  part  in  it  after  nightfall." 

"  I  can  quite  understand  that,  lad.  At  night  all 
the  sounds  of  a  tropical  forest  seem  mysterious  and 
weird,  but  in  the  broad  daylight  the  bush  will  be 
comparatively  still.  The  nocturnal  animals  will  slink 
away  to  their  lairs,  and  there  will  seem  nothing 
strange  to  you  in  the  songs  and  calls  of  the  birds. 
I  should  recommend  you  all  to  take  a  sound  dose  of 
quinine  to-night;  I  have  a  two-and-a-half  gallon  keg 
of  the  stuff  mixed,  and  any  •fficer  or  man  can  go  and 
take  a  glass  whenever  he  feels  he  wants  it.  It  would 
be  good  for  your  nerves,  as  well  as  neutralize  the 
effect  of  the  damp  rising  from  the  river.  I  should 
advise  you  who  are  not  on  the  watch  to  turn  in  early; 
it  is  of  no  use  your  exposing  yourselves  more  than 
is  necessary  to  the  miasma." 

The  rV?xt  day  progress  was  more  rapid,  for  the 
captain  found  that  the  assurance  of  the  pilot  that 
there  was  amply  sufficient  water  for  the  Serpent  had 
been  verified,  and  he  therefore  steamed  forward  at 
half-speed,  without  sending  the  launch  on  ahead  t« 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  35 

take  soundings.  Several  villages  were  passed  by 
the  way,  but  though  the  inhabitants  assembled  on  the 
banks  and  watched  the  steamer,  no  boats  were  put 
out,  nor  were  any  attempts  made  to  barter  their 
products  with  the  strangers. 

"  It  does  not  look  as  if  we  were  popular,  Mr.  Fer 
guson,"  the  captain  said  to  the  first  lieutenant.  "  It 
may  be  that  they  object  to  our  presence  altogether, 
or  it  may  be  because  they  believe  that  we  are  going 
to  the  assistance  of  this  Rajah  Sehi.  It  certainly 
does  not  look  well  for  the  future." 

"  Not  at  all,  sir.  However,  we  shall  be  at  the 
rajah's  place  to-morrow  morning,  and  shall  then 
have  a  better  opportunity  of  seeing  how  things  are 
likely  to  go.  At  any  rate,  he  is  sure  to  be  civil  for  a 
time,  and  we  shall  be  likely  to  procure  fruit  and  vege 
tables,  which,  as  the  doctor  says,  are  absolute  neces 
sities  if  the  men  are  to  be  kept  in  good  health." 

The  next  morning  they  anchored  about  ten  o'clock 
opposite  the  campong  of  the  rajah.  It  was  a  good 
deal  larger  than  any  that  they  had  passed  on  the 
way  up,  but  the  houses  were  mere  huts,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  a  large  wooden  structure,  which  they  at 
once  concluded  was  the  residence  of  the  rajah.  As 
soon  as  the  Serpent  turned  the  last  bend  of  the  river 
before  reaching  the  place,  the  sound  of  drums  and 
gangs  was  heard,  and  a  large  boat,  manned  by 
eighteen  rowers,  shot  out  from  the  bank  as  the 
anchor  was  dropped.  The  two  officials  on  boanf  her 


36  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

at  once  mounted  the  accommodation  ladder,  and  on 
reaching  the  deck  were  received  by  the  first  lieu 
tenant,  behind  whom  stood  a  guard  of  honor  of  the 
marines. 

Upon  stating  that  they  came  to  express,  on  behalf 
of  the  rajah,  the  pleasure  he  felt  at  their  arrival,  they 
were  conducted  to  the  captain's  cabin.  Compli 
ments  were  exchanged  through  the  medium  of  the 
interpreter,  and  a  bottle  of  champagne  was  opened, 
and  its  contents  appeared  to  gratify  the  visitors. 
They  announced  that  the  rajah  would  receive  the 
captain  that  afternoon  at  his  palace. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

NEITHER  of  the  midshipmen  was  present  at  the 
interview  between  the  captain  and  the  rajah.  The 
second  lieutenant,  the  captain  of  the  marines,  and 
the  doctor  alone  accompanied  him,  with  an  escort  of 
twenty  bluejackets  and  as  many  marines.  A  large 
crowd  of  people  had  collected  to  see  them  pass  along 
to  the  palace,  which  was  a  bare,  barn-like  structure, 
but  they  looked  on  sullenly  and  silently  as  the  party 
passed  through  them  on  their  way.  They  were  kept 
waiting  some  little  time  outside  the  building,  then 
entered  through  a  doorway  which  led  them  into  a 
large,  unfurnished  room,  at  the  end  of  which  the 
rajah  was  seated.  He  rose  when  the  officers  en 
tered,  and  received  them  with  an  appearance  of  great 
cordiality,  his  chiefs  standing  behind  him. 

The  conversation  was  wholly  of  a  complimentary 
character;  the  subject  of  the  business  on  which  the 
British  ship  had  come  was  not  even  touched  upon; 
refreshments,  consisting  of  native  sweets  and  palm 
wine,  were  then  passed  round,  and  the  captain,  see 
ing  that  all  business  talk  was  to  be  deferred,  took 
his  leave. 

The  doctor,  who  was  fond  of  the  two  midship- 


38  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

men,  was  always  ready  to  chat  freely  with  them. 
"What  did  you  think  of  our  ally,  Dr.  Horsley?" 
Dick  asked  him,  when,  having  changed  his  full 
uniform  for  a  suit  of  undress,  he  came  up  on 
deck. 

"  Between  you  and  me,  Balderson,  I  have  seldom 
seen  a  more  unmitigated-looking  ruffian  in  my  life; 
even  for  a  Malay,  he  is  ugly.  Soh  Hay  tells  me 
that  in  his  young  days  he  was  a  great  fighter,  and 
his  face  and  shoulders  are  seamed  with  scars.  I 
asked  how  he  came  to  be  rajah;  for  he  does  not  look 
at  all  the  type  of  the  better  class  of  people.  Soh 
told  me  that,  in  the  first  place,  he  took  to  the  jungle, 
owing  to  his  having  krised  in  a  quarrel  the  son  of 
the  chief  here.  He  was  joined  by  other  fugitives, 
set  up  as  a  pirate,  and  captured  by  surprise  one  of 
the  chief's  prahus.  His  force  grew  rapidly,  and  he 
made  a  night  attack  on  the  chief's  campong,  killed 
him  and  all  the  members  of  his  family,  and  caused 
himself  to  be  elected  chief  of  the  tribe,  which  was 
then  a  small  one.  Gradually  he  swallowed  up  one 
after  another  of  his  weaker  neighbors,  sometimes  by 
force,  sometimes  by  treachery.  I  believe  he  is  now 
confronted  by  more  powerful  chiefs,  and  that  it  is 
only  because  he  is  possessed  of  some  six  or  eight 
piratical  prahus  that  he  has  been  able  to  maintain 
his  position.  No  doubt  he  has  become  alarmed  by 
a  prospect  of  a  combination  against  him,  and  has  so 
invited  us  to  support  him.  Such  a  step  will,  of 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  39 

course,  greatly  add  to  his  unpopularity,  but  doubtless 
he  thinks  that,  with  our  help,  he  could  defy  his 
enemies." 

"  But  he  cannot  suppose,  Doctor,"  Harry  said  in 
dignantly,  "  that  we  are  going  to  fight  for  such  a 
rascal  as  he  is  against  the  men  he  has  been  plunder 
ing." 

"  I  don't  expect  he  does  think  that  we  are  going 
to  fight  for  him,  unless  he  can  show  us  that  it  is  to 
our  interest  to  do  so.  I  should  imagine  that  he 
hopes  that  the  effect  of  our  appearance  here  will  be 
to  either  induce  his  neighbors  to  come  to  some  ar 
rangement  with  him,  or  that  he  will  endeavor  to 
make  peace  with  them  by  offering  to  throw  us  over, 
and  to  join  with  them  against  us." 

"  Then,  I  should  say,  Doctor,  that  the  best  thing 
would  be  to  hang  the  ruffian  up  at  once." 

"  Well,  yes,  that  might  be  a  good  plan,  Park- 
hurst,"  the  doctor  said  with  a  smile,  "  and  might 
save  us  a  good  deal  of  trouble;  but,  you  see,  we  have 
come  up  here  at  his  invitation;  we  have  just  been 
eating  his  food  and  drinking  his  liquor,  and  it 
would  scarcely  place  us  in  a  favorable  position  in  the 
eyes  of  the  natives  in  general  were  we  to  commence 
our  alliance  with  him  by  hanging  him." 

Harry  laughed.  "  No,  I  suppose  not,  Doctor. 
Still,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  " 

"  We  must  wait,  lad.  We  are  here  to  ascertain 
the  precise  situation,  and  it  will  be  some  time  before 


4o  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

that  will  be  cleared  up.  Certainly  for  the  present 
there  will  be  nothing  for  us  to  do  but  to  keep  quiet 
and  see  how  matters  turn  out,  and  to  get  through 
the  time  as  best  we  may.  We  shall  have  fine  oppor 
tunities  for  shooting  and  botanizing,  for  whatever 
the  chief's  designs  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  at  present 
he  will  do  all  in  his  power  to  please  us.  The  cap 
tain  to-day,  at  my  suggestion,  said  that,  in  order  to 
keep  the  men  in  good  health,  it  would  be  desirable 
that  they  should  have  every  opportunity  of  going 
ashore,  and  that  the  officers  should  make  expeditions 
in  search  of  game  into  the  interior.  He  promised 
at  once  to  afford  us  every  facility,  and  to  provide  us 
with  guides  and  beaters." 

The  next  day  permission  was  granted  to  several 
of  the  officers  and  to  twenty  sailors  and  a  dozen 
marines  to  go  on  shore.  Before  starting,  the  whole 
ship's  company  were  drawn  up,  and  the  captain  ad 
dressed  them  upon  the  absolute  necessity  for  good 
behavior. 

"  The  Malays,"  he  said,  "  are  a  fierce  race,  very 
proud  and  independent,  and  quick  to  resent  the 
smallest  insult.  Each  man  carries  a  kris,  and  is 
ready  to  use  it  on  the  slightest  provocation.  Every 
man  who  goes  ashore  must  remember  that  not  only 
his  own  life,  but  those  of  many  others,  and  the  suc 
cess  of  the  mission  on  which  we  have  come  hither, 
may  be  forfeited  by  any  careless  act  of  aggression. 
Many  of  you  have  served  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  41 

but  you  must  remember  that  the  Malays  are  not  to 
be  treated  in  the  same  free-and-easy  manner  that  may 
go  down  with  negroes.  You  must  comport  your 
selves  with  the  same  decency  of  behavior  that  you 
would  were  you  in  the  port  of  a  friendly  European 
Power.  Any  breach  of  these  orders  will  be  most 
severely  punished;  and  I  appeal  to  every  officer  and 
man  to  use  his  utmost  efforts  to  keep  on  good  terms 
with  these  people,  and  to  behave  as  if  the  honor  and 
credit  of  the  ship  depended  upon  him  personally. 
Any  man  who  comes  on  board  in  the  slightest  degree 
the  worse  for  liquor  will  not  be  allowed  to  land 
again,  even  if  we  are  stationed  here  for  six  months; 
and  if  there  is  any  misbehavior  on  shore,  all  leave 
will  be  stopped." 

Two  days  later,  the  captain,  with  the  second  lieu 
tenant  and  doctor,  again  paid  a  visit  to  the  rajah, 
and  this  time  business  matters  were  entered  upon. 
The  chief  began  by  stating  that  he  rejoiced  at  the 
thought  of  being  under  the  protection  of  the  great 
English  Queen.  The  captain  replied  that  her 
Majesty  was  anxious  to  be  on  good  terms  with  all 
the  Malay  chiefs;  that  those  rajahs  and  sultans  who 
had  accepted  her  protection  had  greatly  benefited  by 
so  doing,  and  by  listening  to  the  advice  of  the  officers 
whom  she  sent  to  reside  at  their  seat  of  government; 
but  that,  of  course,  before  receiving  his  state  under 
her  protection  it  was  necessary  that  her  representa 
tive,  the  Governor  of  the  Straits  Settlements,  should 


42  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

be  thoroughly  satisfied  that  the  rajah  intended  to 
be  guided  by  the  advice  so  given. 

He  said  that  it  was  thoroughly  necessary  this 
should  be  understood,  for  that  the  allegiance  offered 
to  the  Queen  could  not  be  lightly  thrown  off.  If  a 
chief  once  owned  her  as  his  sovereign,  he  could  not 
change  his  mind  afterwards;  and  should  he  disobey 
the  advice  and  orders  of  the  Resident,  he  would  be 
liable  to  be  dethroned,  and  his  government  bestowed 
upon  one  better  fitted  for  it.  He  could  not,  for  in 
stance,  be  allowed  to  engage  in  hostilities  against 
his  neighbors  without  the  consent  of  the  Resident, 
for  it  was  clear  that  the  English  could  not  assist  him 
in  wars  in  which  they  considered  that  he  was  in  the 
wrong.  In  these  matters  there  must  be  benefits  on 
both  sides :  the  chief  would  obtain  protection  against 
warlike  neighbors,  would  benefit  by  the  presence  and 
advice  of  a  British  officer,  and  by  the  trade  that 
would  spring  up ;  while,  in  return  for  these  benefits, 
he  must  acknowledge  the  Queen  as  his  sovereign, 
and  must  obey  the  orders  of  her  officers  just  as  her 
native-born  subjects  would  do. 

The  chief  looked  very  serious  at  this.  "  Cannot," 
he  asked  at  last,  "  a  chief  obtain  the  protection  of 
the  British,  and  afterwards  remain  as  an  ally  of 
theirs?" 

"  Not  so,"  the  captain  said;  "  he  cannot  come  to 
us  when  he  is  in  danger  and  ask  us  to  send  ships  and 
men  to  aid  him,  and  afterwards,  when  the  danger 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  43 

has  passed,  wish  us  good-morning,  and  give  us  noth 
ing  in  return  for  the  benefits  he  had  received." 

"  What  orders  would  a  Resident  give?  "  the  rajah 
asked,  after  a  pause. 

"  He  would  give  such  orders  as  would  be  neces 
sary  for  the  good  of  the  state;  without  interfering  in 
matters  of  home  government,  he  would  not  allow 
acts  of  tyranny  and  cruelty  that  would  imperil  the 
peace  of  the  state,  and  perhaps  bring  about  a  rising. 
He  would  not  suffer  trade  passing  through  the  do 
minions  to  be  hampered  and  injured  by  heavy  and 
unjust  exactions;  although,  doubtless,  he  would  al 
low  legitimate  tolls  to  be  taken.  He  would  not  per 
mit  expeditions  to  be  fitted  out  for  attacks  upon 
harmless  neighbors.  His  interference  would  always 
be  for  the  good  of  the  state,  and,  consequently,  for 
the  good  of  its  prince.  The  incomes  of  the  various 
rulers  who  have  placed  themselves  under  British  pro 
tection  have  always  been  largely  augmented  by  the 
prosperity  and  well-doing  of  the  state,  the  increase 
in  its  population,  the  extension  of  its  trade  and  agri 
culture,  all  of  which  enabled  the  people  to  pay  a 
larger  amount  of  taxation. 

"  You  see,  Rajah,  we  force  no  one  to  place  himself 
tinder  our  protection;  we  war  with  no  one  unless, 
by  attack  upon  ourselves  or  upon  princes  under  our 
protection,  he  compels  us  to  punish  him,  and,  in  ex 
treme  cases,  to  take  possession  of  his  dominions.  I 
am  explaining  all  this  to  you  because  I  wish  you 


44  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

thoroughly  to  understand  what  your  position  will  be 
if  the  Queen  takes  you  under  her  protection — which 
she  certainly  will  not  do  unless  it  is  found  that  you 
are  likely,  on  your  part,  to  carry  out  faithfully  the 
obligations  you  have  assumed  in  return  for  that 
protection." 

When  this  had  been  translated  to  the  rajah  by  the 
interpreter,  the  chief  sat  for  some  time  silent.  It 
was  evident  that  he  was  ill  pleased,  and  that  he  had 
reckoned  upon  obtaining  the  British  aid  without 
undertaking  any  responsibilities  whatever. 

"  And  the  officer  who  will  come  up,"  he  said  at 
last,  "  would  he  reside  on  shore?  " 

"  Certainly  he  would.  A  portion  of  ground 
would  be  allotted  for  the  Residency;  on  this  a  fort 
would  be  erected,  which  would  be  manned  by  a 
small  force  for  his  protection;  and  he  might  either 
reside  in  the  fort  or  in  a  residence  erected  for  him 
close  to  it,  and  under  shelter  of  its  guns.  The  fort 
would,  of  course,  be  used  for  the  protection  of  the 
town  against  enemies,  as  well  as  for  the  protection 
of  the  officer  against  any  rising  on  the  part  of  your 
people;  in  which  case  you,  as  well  as  himself,  would 
find  a  refuge  in  it." 

;<  Then  I  should  no  longer  be  a  ruler,"  the  rajah 
said  angrily.  "  I  should  not  be  able  to  order  those 
who  offended  me  to  be  punished." 

"  Not  at  all,"  the  captain  replied  quietly.  "  Your 
powers  as  a  ruler  would  not  be  interfered  with  in 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  45 

any  way,  as  long  as  they  were  properly  exercised. 
You  would  have  the  power  of  executing  ill-doers  in 
accordance  with  the  custom  of  your  country;  but 
the  murder  of  a  person  who  had  committed  no  crime 
whatever'is  not  to  be  permitted,  and  anything  like 
wholesale  cruelty  and  tyranny  would  be  sternly  re 
pressed." 

For  some  time  the  rajah  sat  without  speaking; 
then  he  said,  with  an  evident  effort  of  self-control, 
"  I  must  think  all  this  over;  it  is  all  new  to  me." 

"  By  all  means  do  so,"  the  captain  replied.  "  The 
matter  is  an  important  one,  and  you  will  do  well  to 
consider  it  in  all  lights  before  you  take  a  step  that, 
once  taken,  cannot  be  undone." 

"  I  don't  like  the  fell*  w's  looks,  Doctor,"  the  cap 
tain  said;  "he  intend*  d  to  use  us  as  a  cat's-paw 
against  his  neighbors." 

"  I  think  that  he  is  a  thoroughly  bad  lot,  sir;  and 
if  he  accepted  the  terms,  I  should  be  very  sorry  to 
be  appointed  Resident,  for  I  should  not  feel  that  my 
life  was  worth  a  day's  purchase." 

"  Well,  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait  until  we 
get  a  definite  answer  from  him ;  and  my  instructions 
are  that,  if  I  find  that  he  is  not  a  desirable  man  to 
have  to  deal  with,  I  am  to  enter  into  negotiations 
with  other  rajahs,  and  to  endeavor  to  do  something 
10  open  the  trade  of  the  river  and  to  render  it  safe 
for  merchants  who  come  up  to  trade.  If  Hassan's 


46  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

account  of  this  man's  doings  is  correct,  he  is  the 
main  cause  of  the  falling-off  in  the  trade,  and,  more 
over,  the  author  of  the  piracies  of  which  we  have 
had  so  many  complaints;  indeed,  it  is  possible  that 
when  the  Governor  learns  the  true  state  of  things,  I 
may  get  an  order  to  present  an  ultimatum  to  this 
fellow  and  to  sink  his  piratical  craft.  At  any  rate, 
we  may  make  up  our  minds  to  be  here  for  some 
time." 

On  the  following  day  a  message  was  received 
from  the  rajah,  saying  that  if  any  of  the  officers 
wished  to  go  on  excursions  for  sport,  guides  would 
be  placed  at  their  disposal,  and  that  all  who  wished  to 
do  so  could  at  any  time  travel  through  the  country 
without  the  slightest  fear  of '  nolestation.  For  some 
time  affairs  remained  in  th<  same  condition.  The 
doctor  went  daily  on  shore  w  th  butterfly-  and  beetle- 
nets,  tin  boxes,  and  other  f  araphernalia.  He  was 
generally  accompanied  by  a  couple  of  bluejackets, 
and  always  took  a  native  guide  to  prevent  the  risk 
of  being  lost  in  the  jungle,  and  also  because  the  man 
was  able  to  take  him  to  places  where  villages  had 
stood,  and  it  was  in  these  clearings  that  insect  life, 
especially  among  the  lepidoptera,  was  most  abund 
ant  The  Malay  he  first  engaged  was  a  young  fel 
low  who  proved  so  intelligent  and  willing  that  he 
was  permanently  retained  for  the  service  as  long  as 
the  Serpent  remained  on  the  station. 

The  officers  obtained  no  sport  with  big  game;  for 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  47 

although  at  night  the  forest  was  full  of  sounds, 
showing  the  number  of  wild  animals  that  abounded, 
these  never  were  met  with  during  the  daytime,  and 
it  would  have  been  hopeless  endeavoring  to  penetrate 
the  thick  jungle  in  search  of  them.  There  was, 
however,  an  abundance  of  birds,  for  the  most  part 
of  brilliant  plumage,  and  the  doctor  was  delighted 
with  the  spoils  they  brought  in,  while  the  messes 
were*kept  well  supplied  with  jungle  fowl  and  other 
edible  birds.  The  natives,  learning  from  the  guide 
of  the  doctor's  passion  for  insects,  brought  in  large 
numbers  for  sale,  and  he  was  able  to  purchase  a  great 
many  specimens  altogether  new  to  science. 

The  two  midshipmen  /nade  excursions  with  their 
guns  whenever  they  could  get  leave.  Davis  and 
two  other  sailors  always  accompanied  them,  as  the 
captain's  orders  were  strict  that  no  officer  or  man 
should  go  outside  the  limits  of  the  campong  unless 
accompanied  by  two  armed  seamen. 

Sometimes  they  took  a  native  canoe  and  went  up 
the  river  fishing;  but  as  an  abundance  of  fish  could 
be  caught  by  lines  from  the  ship's  side,  they  only  did 
this  as  a  change,  and  often  in  the  cool  of  the  evening1 
they  lay  lazily  in  the  canoe,  while  the  fishermen  were 
employed  rowing  them  up  one  or  other  of  the  numer 
ous  streams  which  flowed  into  the  river.  The  doc 
tor's  prognostications  as  to  the  health  of  the  crew 
were  only  partially  verified,  for  the  precautions 
taken,  if  they  did  not  secure  a  perfect  immunity 


48  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

against  fever,  at  least  greatly  diminished  the  num 
ber  of  those  who  suffered  from  it.  The  abundance 
of  fish  either  caught  from  the  ship  or  purchased  from 
the  natives  formed  a  wholesome  diet,  aided  by  the 
fruit,  of  which  the  natives  brought  off  a  very  large 
quantity.  It  was  very  varied,  and  much  of  it  deli 
cious;  the  mangosteens  were  specially  appreciated, 
and  those  who  could  overcome  their  repugnance  to 
the  disgusting  odor  of  the  durians  found  them  deli 
cious  eating.  Besides  these  were  custard  apples, 
bananas,  and  many  other  kinds  of  fruit;  all  were 
very  cheap  and,  upon  the  doctor's  suggestion,  a 
supply  was  purchased  daily  for  the  use  of  the  ship's 
company,  and  the  sailors,  who  had  no  other  use  for 
their  money,  laid  out  no  small  portion  of  their  pay 
on  these  luxuries. 

The  captain  had  taken  every  opportunity,  when 
boats  passed  up  the  river,  to  send  messages  and 
presents  to  the  chiefs  of  the  tribes  higher  up,  with 
assurances  that  he  had  not  come  up  as  an  enemy,  but 
that  he  desired  to  be  on  good  terms  with  all,  and 
would  gladly  see  any  of  them  who  would  come  down 
to  pay  him  a  visit,  and  would  guarantee  their  safe 
return  without  molestation  on  the  part  of  Sehi.  No 
answers  had,  however,  been  received  to  these  over 
tures,  and  a  proposal  he  made  to  the  rajah  to  send 
some  of  the  ship's  boats  up  the  river  to  endeavor  to 
bring  about  an  understanding  between  him  and  his 
neighbors  was  received  with  extreme  disfavor. 


CHAPTER  V. 

So  far,  nothing  had  been  seen  of  the  rajah's 
prahus.  When  questioned  on  the  subject,  he  replied 
that  they  were  all  down  on  the  coast,  trading  with 
the  natives;  but  it  was  so  improbable  that  they 
should  have  been  sent  away  while  the  rajah  was  in 
fear  of  an  attack  by  his  neighbors  that  no  credence 
was  given  to  the  assertion.  The  ship's  boats  often 
went  out  for  long  rows  on  the  river,  ostensibly — as 
the  captain  told  the  rajah,  who  inquired  suspiciously 
as  to  the  meaning  of  these  excursions. — for  the  sake 
of  giving  the  crews  active  exercise,  but  principally 
in  order  to  take  soundings  of  the  river,  and  to  inves 
tigate  the  size  and  positions  of  the  creeks  running 
into  it.  One  day  the  gig  and  cutter  had  proceeded 
farther  than  usual;  they  had  started  at  daybreak, 
and  had  turned  off  inco  what  seemed  a  very  small 
creek,  that  had  hitherto  been  unexplored,  as  from  the 
width  of  its  mouth  it  was  supposed  to  extend  but  a 
short  distance  into  the  forest. 

The  master's  mate  was  in  command  of  one  boat, 
the  second  lieutenant  of  the  other;  Harry  Parkhurst 
accompanied  the  latter.  After  pushing  through 
ihe  screen  of  foliage  that  almost  closed  the  entrance 
to  the  creek,  the  boats  rowed  on  for  some  distance. 


50  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

For  half  a  mile  the  width  was  but  some  fifteen  yards, 
and  the  trees  met  in  an  arch  overhead,  then  it  wid 
ened  considerably. 

"  This  is  just  the  sort  of  place,"  the  lieutenant 
said  to  Harry,  "  where  the  rajah's  prahus  may  be 
hidden  away.  We  had  best  go  along  as  noiselessly 
as  possible.  If  we  were  to  come  upon  them  sud 
denly  they  might  fire  upon  us,  and  that  would  bring 
on  a  general  row.  If  we  should  catch  sight  of  them, 
it  would  be  best  to  take  the  news  to  the  captain,  and 
let  him  act  as  he  thinks  fit." 

He  ordered  the  men  to  cease  rowing  until  the  gig 
came  alongside. 

"  Mr.  Morrison,"  he  said,  "  it  seems  to  me  that 
this  is  a  likely  place  for  the  prahus  to  be  hidden. 
We  had  better  try  and  discover  if  this  is  the  case, 
without  being  ourselves  seen ;  therefore  have  all  the 
oars,  except  four,  laid  in,  and  let  the  men  muffle 
those  with  their  stockings,  and  be  most  careful  to 
dip  them  into  the  water  without  making  a  splash. 
Let  absolute  silence  be  preserved  in  the  boat.  I  will 
lead  the  way  as  before,  and  if  I  hold  up  my  hand 
stop  rowing  instantly." 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir !  "  the  mate  replied 

The  same  precautions  were  taken  by  the  cutter, 
and  the  boats  proceeded  noiselessly.  Presently  the 
stream  narrowed  again,  until  it  seemed  that  they 
were  approaching  its  termination,  and  the  boat 
stopped  rowing. 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  51 

"  I  fancy  we  have  come  to  the  end  of  it,  Mr.  Mor- 
a^son,"  the  lieutenant  said  in  a  low  voice. 

"  I  am  afraid  so  too,  sir;  there  is  no  room  for  the 
oars,  and  we  shall  either  have  to  punt  the  boats,  or 
to  drag  them  by  the  bushes." 

The  lieutenant  was  about  to  give  the  order  to  turn 
when  Harry  said,  suddenly,  "  There  is  a  current, 
sir.  I  have  had  my  eye  upon  that  root,  and  we  have 
drifted  backwards  a  couple  of  feet  since  we  lost  way, 
Bo  there  must  be  a  stretch  of  water  above  us." 

The  lieutenant  watched  the  root  of  the  tree  to 
which  Harry  had  pointed,  for  a  minute  in  silence, 
then  he  said,  "  You  are  right,  my  lad,  there  is  a  cur 
rent,  and,  as  you  say,  there  must  be  a  stretch  of  water 
above  us.  Lay  in  your  oars,  lads;  stand  up,  and  pull 
her  along  by  the  boughs  and  bushes,  but  don't  make 
the  slightest  sound." 

Twenty  yards  farther  the  creek  widened,  and  the 
oars  were  again  got  out.  "  Take  your  place  in  the 
bow,  Mr.  Parkhurst,  and  hold  up  your  hand  the  in 
stant  you  see  anything  unusual,  and  do  you,  men,  be 
ready  to  hold  her  up  the  instant  I  give  the  order." 

They  proceeded  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  the  gig 
following  close  behind.  Suddenly,  at  a  bend  in  the 
stream,  a  glare  of  light  was  seen  ahead.  Harry 
held  up  his  hand,  and  passed  the  word  down  in  a 
whisper  that  just  ahead  the  creek  widened  into  a 
broad  sheet  of  water.  The  lieutenant  stopped  the 
gig  by  holding  up  his  hand,  passed  the  order  for  the 


5 a  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

men  to  lay  in  their  oars  noiselessly,  and  told  the 
coxswain  to  keep  in  well  under  the  bushes  on  the 
left-hand  side;  then  he  made  his  way  forward,  and 
joined  Harry,  telling  the  men  to  pull  the  boat  for 
ward  by  means  of  the  branches  overhead  which  were 
well  within  reach,  but  to  avoid  breaking  even  a 
twig. 

In  a  minute  or  two  the  bow  of  the  boat  arrived 
at  the  end  of  the  screen  of  bushes,  and  a  low  excla 
mation  broke  from  the  lieutenant  and  Harry  simul 
taneously;  they  were  looking  out  on  to  an  almost 
circular  pool  some  two  hundred  yards  in  diameter. 
In  the  center  were  moored  six  prahus.  Two  of 
them  lay  broadside  on  to  the  creek,  the  other  four 
were  in  a  line  behind  these,  and  it  seemed  that  their 
broadsides  were  directed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
pool,  for  the  other  two  boats  were  in  the  way  of  their 
firing  at  the  creek.  They  were  long,  low  vessels, 
rowing  some  twenty  oars  on  each  side.  Each 
carried  a  number  of  small  brass  guns,  and  they  were 
evidently  full  of  men,  for  numbers  could  be  seen  on 
deck,  and  boats  were  passing  to  and  fro  between 
them  and  a  small  village  at  the  edge  of  the  pool. 
Having  taken  in  all  the  details  of  the  scene,  the  lieu 
tenant  passed  the  word  for  the  mate  to  leave  his  own 
boat  and  join  him.  When  he  did  so,  he  whispered 
to  him: 

"  I  thought  it  was  as  well  that  you  should  have  a 
view  of  these  fellows'  position  too,  Morrison,  as  it 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  53 

would  be  of  use  to  you  if  you  have  to  take  a  boat  in 
to  attack  them." 

Two  minutes  later  the  boats  were  drawn  back 
again  to  the  open  water  in  their  rear,  and  rowed  as 
noiselessly  as  before  down  the  creek,  no  word  being 
spoken  until  they  were  half  a  mile  away  from  the 
pool. 

"  That  is  a  snug  hiding-place,  Mr.  Morrison,"  the 
lieutenant  said. 

"  It  is  indeed,  sir.  Who  would  have  thought  the 
scoundrels  were  so  close  to  us,  or  that  they  lay  up 
this  narrow  creek,  which  I  have  passed  half  a  dozen 
times  and  never  thought  worth  examining?  I 
should  not  have  dreamt  that  one  of  those  craft  could 
have  passed  through." 

"  I  doubt  whether  they  did  pass  through.  They 
hardly  could  have  done  so  without  breaking  down  a 
good  many  of  these  branches,  and  we  must  have 
seen  signs  of  that.  I  think  they  must  have  got  into 
that  pool  by  some  creek  coming  in  on  the  opposite 
side.  You  see  four  out  of  the  six  boats  were  an 
chored  in  line  so  as  to  bring  their  broadsides  to  bear 
on  some  point  opposite  to  them,  while  the  other  two 
guarded  them  against  any  attack  from  this  side. 
Naturally,  they  thought  it  unlikely  that  any  boat 
would  come  up  here,  and  so  directed  their  main  at 
tention  to  the  other  opening.  The  next  thing  to 
find  out  will  be  where  the  other  stream  joins  the 
river,  otherwise,  as  soon  as  we  make  our  appearance, 


54  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

they  will  escape  that  way,  and  there  is  not  the  least 
doubt  that  they  could  row  away  from  our  fastest 
boats.  However,  it  is  a  great  thing  that  we  have 
discovered  their  whereabouts  without  their  having 
the  least  notion  that  we  have  done  so,  and  I  am  sure 
the  captain  will  be  very  pleased  when  he  hears  that 
we  have  found  them.  It  will  give  him  the  whip- 
hand  over  that  lying  rascal  Sehi." 

Captain  Forest  smiled  grimly  when  the  lieutenant 
made  his  report  of  the  discovery  that  he  had  made. 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Hopkins;  that  is  a  very  valu 
able  discovery.  Just  at  present  matters  have  not 
come  to  a  point  when  we  can  turn  it  to  account.  The 
next  thing  will  be  to  find  out  where  the  other  passage 
comes  out.  It  will  be  a  serious  business  to  attach 
them  in  the  boats  alone;  these  prahus  carry  a  tre 
mendous  lot  of  men,  and  the  Malays  will  fight  des. 
perately.  I  do  not  say  that  we  might  not  succeed, 
but  we  should  lose  a  lot  of  men  in  the  attempt;  it 
would  be  hot  work  even  with  the  ship,  attacked  by 
six  of  these  fellows  at  once.  If  it  was  in  the  night, 
we  might  fail  to  see  any  of  them  before  they  were 
upon  us,  and  we  should  have  hard  work  to  beat  back 
four  or  five  hundred  of  them  if  they  all  came  swarm 
ing  on  deck  together.  However,  we  can  wait,  and 
the  first  time  the  rajah  shows  any  signs  of  treachery 
we  can  pounce  upon  his  fleet.  He  will  not  dream 
that  we  have  discovered  their  hiding-place,  and  will 
therefore  let  them  hide  there  without  movement. 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  55 

However,  we  must  try  to  find  the  other  end  of  the 
entrance  to  the  creek. 

"  Please  impress  upon  Mr.  Morrison  and  young 
Parkhurst  that  it  is  of  the  highest  importance  no 
words  shall  be  spoken  about  it;  and  it  might  be  ad 
visable,  also,  to  give  notice  to  the  men  who  were  in 
the  boats,  to  keep  their  mouths  shut.  I  have  no  rea 
son  to  believe  that  the  interpreter  is  not  faithful  to 
our  interests,  but  it  is  just  as  well  not  to  trust  any 
one.  Moreover,  it  may  be  that  some  of  these 
Malays  who  come  on  board  with  fruit  may  have 
been  for  a  time  at  Singapore  or  Penang,  and  picked 
up  a  little  English,  and  a  chance  word  might  let  them 
know  that  we  have  discovered  the  prahus." 

"  I  wonder  why  our  friend  Hassan  has  not  turned 
up,"  Dick  Balderson  said  to  his  chum  one  day,  after 
they  had  been  lying  for  a  month  opposite  the 
town. 

"  I  expect  something  has  occurred  to  keep  him," 
Harry  said.  "  I  am  quite  convinced  that  he  would 
have  come  if  he  could.  He  may  be  in  trouble  him 
self  with  some  of  his  neighbors,  or  he  may  have  tried 
to  exert  himself  too  soon  a^d  done  himself  damage. 
I  am  quite  convinced  that  he  meant  what  he  said. 
At  any  rate,  till  this  business  here  conies  to  a  head, 
•we  are  not  likely  to  be  able  to  go  up  and  pay  a  visit 
to  him." 

"  No,  I  am  quite  sure  that  the  captain  would  not 
let  us  go  now,  and  indeed,  I  would  not  ask  him,  even 


56  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

if  I  were  sure  he  would,  for  we  may  get  to  blow? 
with  the  rajah  any  day;  he  cannot  put  of?  giving  a 
final  answer  much  longer.  I  wonder  the  captain 
stood  his  shilly-shallying  so  long  as  he  has." 

It  was  but  two  evenings  after  this  that,  as  the  two 
midshipmen  were  leaning  against  the  bulwarks, 
watching  the  reflection  of  the  stars  in  the  sluggish 
stream,  a  native  sampan  stole  silently  out  from  the 
shadow  of  the  shore  and  dropped  down  alongside 
the  Serpent.  So  noiseless  was  the  movement  that 
the  two  men  on  the  lookout  in  the  bow  did  not  notice 
it,  and  the  midshipmen  thought  it  was  a  shadow  of 
some  dark  object  floating  down  stream,  when  it 
came  alongside  and  a  man  stood  up. 

"  Hello ! "  Harry  said,  "  you  must  not  come 
alongside  like  this :  what  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  Dick,  Harry,  Doctor;  come  from  Hassan." 

"Oh,  that  is  it;  all  right,  come  on  board,"  and, 
leaning  over,  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to  the  native, 
who  seized  it,  and  in  a  moment  stood  by  his  side  on 
the  deck,  holding  the  head  rope  of  his  sampan  in  his 
mouth. 

"  Davis,"  Harry  said  to  the  sailor  who  was  stand 
ing  two  paces  away,  "  just  go  down  to  the  ward 
room,  and  tell  the  doctor,  with  my  compliments,  that 
I  shall  be  obliged  if  he  will  come  on  deck  at  once. 
Say  that  it  is  something  particular." 

A  minute  later  the  doctor  appeared.  "  I  was  just 
in  the  middle  of  a  rubber,  Dick,  and  if  you  have  not 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  57 

an  uncommonly  good  reason  for  calling  me  up  I  will 
make  you  smart  for  it,  the  first  time  you  get  under 
my  hands.  Whom  have  we  got  here?  " 

"  He  is  a  messenger  from  Hassan;  he  mentioned 
Our  names  and  yours." 

"  Ah,  I  am  glad  of  that,"  the  doctor  said,  rubbing 
his  hands  together;  "  they  have  been  chaffing  me  in 
the  ward-room  about  it,  and  prophesying  that  I 
should  never  hear  of  him  again.  Well,  what  does 
he  say?" 

"  He  has  not  said  anything  except  our  names, 
Doctor,  and  that  he  comes  from  Hassan.  I  don't 
suppose  he  knows  any  more  English,  and  I  thought 
we  had  better  consult  you,  whether  it  would  be  best 
to  send  for  Soh  Hay;  he  may  have  brought  some 
message  of  importance." 

"  Right,  lad.  I  think  the  most  prudent  thing  will 
be  to  tell  the  captain  first.  It  may  only  be  a  message 
to  say  why  he  has  not  come,  or  it  may  be  a  matter  OA 
some  importance.  I  will  go  to  him  at  once." 

Two  or  three  minutes  later  he  returned.  "  You 
are  to  bring  him  to  the  captain's  cabin.  Here, 
Davis,  pass  the  word  forward  that  the  captain  wants 
to  see  Soh  Hay  in  his  cabin."  Harry  touched  the 
native,  who  had  been  standing  quietly  by  his  side, 
and  signed  him  to  accompany  them,  and  with  Dr. 
Horsley  and  Dick  went  direct  to  the  cabin. 

"  So  your  friend  has  sent  a  message  at  last,  lad  ?  " 
Captain  Forest  said.  "  I  am  glad  of  that,  for  I  own 


58  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

that  I  had  doubts  whether  we  should  hear  any  more 
of  him." 

"  You  come  from  the  chief  Hassan  ?  "  the  captain, 
who  had  been  working  at  the  Malay  language,  with 
the  interpreter,  since  he  had  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  asked  in  that  tongue.  The  man's  fact 
brightened. 

"  Yes,  my  lord,"  he  said. 

"Is  he  well?" 

"  The  chief  is  quite  well." 

"  I  wish  I  knew  enough  to  question  him  without 
Soh  Hay's  interference,  but  I  shall  only  make  a  mess 
of  it,  and,  perhaps,  get  a  wrong  idea  altogether  of 
his  message.  Now,  Soh  Hay,"  he  broke  off  as  the 
interpreter  entered,  "  you  will  ask  this  man  the  ques 
tions  exactly  as  I  put  them,  and  tell  me  his  answer 
word  for  word.  It  may  be  of  importance.  Now 
ask  him  first  what  message  he  brings  from  his  chief 
to  the  officers." 

The  question  was  put,  and  the  native,  speaking 
slowly  and  quietly,  and  evidently  repeating  a  lesson 
that  he  had  learned  by  heart,  said,  "  The  chief  sends 
his  greeting  to  his  three  friends,  Harry,  Dick,  and 
Doctor,  also  to  Captain.  He  is  well  in  body;  he  is 
cured,  and  can  throw  a  spear  and  lead  his  men  to 
battle.  He  has  sent  four  messengers  one  after  an 
other,  but  none  have  returned  with  an  answer;  they 
have  no  doubt  been  krised.  Now  he  sends  me." 

"Tell  him  that  no  messenger  has  arrived  until 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  55 

now,"  the  captain  said,  when  this  was  interpreted 
to  \im. 

7>e  man  nodded.  "  All  krised.  I  travel  at 
night,  hide  in  trees  all  day,  float  down  at  night  in 
shadow  of  bushes,  and  have  got  through  safe. 
Chief  Hassan  says  not  been  able  to  come  down. 
Other  chiefs  very  angry  because  English  war-ship 
come.  Send  message  to  Hassan  to  join  them. 
When  he  say  no,  they  threaten  to  kill  him  and  de 
stroy  tribe  when  war-ship  go  away.  Two  of  Rajah 
Sehi's  prahus  go  up  and  down  river;  stop  all  boats. 
Sehi  send  message  to  all  chiefs;  say  that  English 
war-boat  here.  English  come  take  his  country,  and 
after  they  done  that  take  the  countries  of  the  others; 
make  themselves  kings  of  the  river.  He  ask  them 
to  join  him  in  killing  English,  every  man,  then  he 
would  have  no  more  quarrel  with  them,  no  trouble 
trade  any  more;  be  good  friends  with  all  neighbors. 
Some  chiefs  say  one  thing,  some  another.  Some 
more  afraid  of  rajah  than  of  English;  some  think 
better  have  English  here  than  rajah. 

"  Hassan  says  must  take  great  care.  Sehi  very 
treacherous ;  attack  when  they  do  not  expect  it.  He 
thinks  his^rahus  can  easily  take  English  ship;  but 
Hassan  says  Sehi  wants  the  other  chiefs  to  aid,  so 
that  if  the  English  send  up  more  ships,  the*  can  aH 
join  him  in  fighting  them.  Hassan  says  he  will  dC 
what  he  can.  He  has  eight  war  canoes,  but  no  good 
against  prahus — they  run  at  canoes,  and  cut  them  in 


60  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

half;  but  will  come  to  help  if  English  attack.  He 
does  not  know  where  prahus  are.  Begs  Captain  to 
attack  these  first;  it  is  they  that  make  Sehi  master  of 
the  river.  If  they  destroyed,  other  chiefs  not  afraid 
of  Sehi,  and  he  might  get  some  of  them  to  join 
against  him.  Hassan  said  tell  Harry,  and  Dick,  and 
Doctor  he  does  not  forget  their  kindness,  and  will 
do  what  he  can  to  watch  over  them.  Such  is  Has 
san's  message." 

"  Ask  him  when  he  is  going  back  to  his  chief," 
the  captain  said. 

"  He  go  now,"  the  interpreter  said,  after  asking 
the  question.  "  He  get  as  far  as  he  can  before 
morning.  He  sure  many  eyes  watch  ship  night  and 
day  to  see  that  no  message  comes,  or  any  word  of 
what  rajah  is  doing.  He  float  down  stream  in 
sampan  some  distance,  then  paddle  to  opposite  bank, 
then  keep  in  shadow  of  bushes  up  the  river,  and  hide 
away  till  night  comes  again." 

"  Very  well,  then,  tell  him  that  he  is  to  thank  his 
master  for  sending  us  warning;  that  we  had  already 
found  out  that  what  he  told  us  before  he  went  away 
was  true,  and  that  Sehi  is  a  very  bad  man.  Say 
that  we  are  not  afraid  of  prahus,  and  will  make  short 
work  of  them  when  we  get  a  chance.  Tell  him  we 
will  take  great  care,  and  not  let  ourselves  be  sur 
prised,  and  that  when  we  have  finished  with  this  fel 
low  here,  the  ship  will  come  as  far  up  the  river  as  she 
can  go,  and  show  the  chiefs  that  the  English  have 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  61 

no  evil  intentions  against  them,  and  will  send  his 
three  friends  with  a  strong-  boat  party  to  pay  him  a 
visit.  By  the  way,  ask  the  man  if  he  knows  this 
part  of  the  country." 

"  Yes,  Captain;  he  says  that  he  has  been  since  his 
boyhood  a  boatman,  and  has  worked  for  some  years 
with  a  trader,  who  used  to  go  up  the  creeks,  and 
trade  with  the  villagers." 

"  Ask  him  if  he  knows  a  creek  that  turns  off  from 
the  river  four  or  five  miles  above  this;  it  is  a  very 
small  one,  but  it  leads  into  a  pool  on  which  is  a  large 
village." 

The  man  nodded  at  once,  when  the  question  was 
put,  then  spoke  for  a  minute  or  two. 

"  He  says,  Captain,  that  he  knows  the  pool  and 
village;  but  he  has  never  been  up  the  small  creek 
that  you  speak  of.  Did  not  know  that  a  boat  could 
get  through.  He  has  been  there  by  a  large  creek 
that  runs  into  the  other  branch  of  the  river,  the  one 
that  turns  off  twelve  miles  below  this;  from  that 
river  it  is  an  hour's  paddle  in  a  sampan  to  the  pool." 

"  How  should  we  know  the  entrance?  "  the  cap 
tain  asked. 

"  Entrance  difficult  to  find,"  the  native  replied; 
"  strip  of  land  runs  out  from  both  sides,  covered 
with  trees.  One  goes  a  little  beyond  the  other,  so 
that  anyone  who  did  not  know  it  would  pass  the  en 
trance  without  noticing  it.  It  is  just  wide  enough 
for  a  large  craft  to  go  in  and  out  There  is  a  vil- 


6s  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

lage  stands  a  hundred  yards  below  the  entrance;  it 
would  be  known  by  a  big  tree  that  grows  before  a 
large  house  close  to  the  bank.  The  water  is  deep  on 
that  side.  You  have  only,  after  passing  the  village, 
to  keep  close  in  shore,  and  you  will  then  see  the  en 
trance  to  the  creek.  It  is  called  Alligator  Creek, 
because,  more  than  any  place,  it  swarms  with  these 
creatures." 

"  Thank  you,"  the  captain  said.  "  Will  you  tell 
the  chief  that  I  say  you  have  rendered  me  a  valuable 
service  ? "  He  opened  a  case  in  which  he  kept 
presents  intended  for  the  chiefs,  and  took  out  a  brace 
of  handsome  pistols,  a  powder-flask,  and  a  bullet- 
mold.  "  Take  these,"  he  said,  "  in  token  of  the  serv 
ice  you  have  rendered.  When  I  see  your  chief,  you 
shall  be  well  recompensed  for  the  risk  that  you  have 
run  in  bearing  me  his  message." 

The  Malay  looked  longingly  at  the  pistols,  and 
then  said,  "  I  came  by  order  of  my  chief,  and  not  for 
reward." 

"  Quite  so.  I  understand  that,  and  am  not  offer 
ing  you  a  reward  for  that  sewice,  but  for  the  infor 
mation  that  you  have  given  me,  which  may  be  of 
value  if  I  have  trouble  with  the  rajah  here." 

The  man  bowed  and  took  the  pistols  offered.  "  I 
will  use  them  against  your  enemies,"  he  said  warmly; 
"  but  all  of  us  know  the  creek,  for  it  is  that  which 
renders  it  so  difficult  for  us  to  fight  against  Sehi. 
He  is  master  of  the  water,  and  we  cannot  attack 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  63 

him  without  first  crossing  that  creek.  We  should 
have  to  carry  canoes  with  us,  to  do  it,  for  the  creek 
is  too  full  of  alligators  for  anyone  to  swim  across, 
and  our  small  canoes  would  have  no  chance  of  pass 
ing  the  creek  when  his  war-boats  were  there." 

The  captain  nodded  when  this  was  translated  to 
him.  "  Sehi's  place,  in  fact,  stands  upon  an  island 
formed  by  the  two  branches  of  the  river  and  this 
creek.  As  soon  as  he  became  master  of  the  river, 
he  could  hardly  be  assailed,  while  at  any  time  he 
could  sally  out  and  fall  upon  his  enemies.  Ask  the 
man  if  he  will  take  any  refreshment  before  he  goes." 

The  man  declined.  He  had,  he  said,  sufficient 
fruit  and  dried  fish  for  his  journey  back.  A  few 
minutes  later  he  took  his  place  in  the  little  canoe 
and  drifted  away  into  the  darkness,  and  was  soon 
lost  to  sight 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"THINGS  are  coming  to  a  crisis,  Harry,"  Dick 
Balderson  said,  in  a  tone  of  delight,  as  they  left  the 
captain's  cabin.  "  We  now  know  what  we  all  along 
suspected — the  rajah  is  a  rascal,  and  we  have  not 
only  found  out  where  his  prahus  are  hidden,  but  have 
them  corked  up  in  a  bottle." 

"  Nothing  could  be  better,  Dick,  and  I  expect  we 
shall  have  some  pretty  hot  work.  Of  course  the 
Serpent  cannot  get  up  that  creek,  though  she  can 
place  herself  at  the  entrance  and  prevent  their  get 
ting  away;  but  there  still  remains  the  work  of  cap 
turing  or  driving  them  down  the  creek,  and  that  is 
likely  to  be  a  very  tough  job." 

The  next  morning  the  second  lieutenant,  the  mate, 
and  Harry  Parkhurst  were  sent  for  to  the  captain's 
cabin.  The  first  lieutenant  was  there.  They  were 
each  asked  their  opinion  as  to  whether  the  prahus 
could  force  their  way  through  the  creek  by  which 
they  had  ascended 

"  It  is  a  most  important  point,"  the  captain  said : 
"  and  indeed,  everything  might  depend  upon  it." 

"  I  am  sure,  sir,"  Mr.  Hopkins  said,  "  that  they 
could  not  go  straight  down  it.  They  might  cut  their 
way  through,  but  it  would  be  a  work  of  considerable 

64 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  65 

time,  for  with  their  masts  they  would  have  to  clear 
away  the  branches  to  a  considerable  height.  Down 
near  the  water  the  branches  by  which  we  pushed 
ourselves  along  were  those  of  the  undergrowth,  with 
many  rattans  and  other  creepers  varying  from  the 
thickness  of  one's  thumb  to  that  of  one's  wrist,  and 
these  would  take  a  great  deal  of  chopping  before  one 
of  their  war-boats  could  be  pushed  through,  but 
higher  up  they  would  probably  have  much  thicker 
branches  to  contend  with.  It  may  be  that  they  can 
lower  their  masts;  but  even  if  they  could  do  so,  I 
should  think,  that  it  would  take  them  over  an  hour's 
work,  even  with  the  number  of  hands  they  carry,  to 
get  a  passage  through  that  bit  of  thick  undergrowth, 
fifty  or  sixty  yards  up  the  mouth  of  the  creek. 
There  are  two  or  three  other  places  where  some 
chopping  would  have  to  be  done,  but  that  would  be 
comparatively  easy  work." 

The  mate  and  Harry  both  agreed  with  the  lieu 
tenant. 

"  Practically,  then,"  the  captain  said,  "  the  Ma 
lays  have  but  one  mode  of  escape,  while  we  have  two 
of  attack.  At  any  rate,  if  we  send  up  a  boat  before 
hand,  and  fasten  two  or  three  iron  chains  from  side 
to  side  among  the  branches,  that  passage  would  be 
securely  sealed. 

"  Thank  you,  gentlemen;  that  is  all  I  have  to  ask 
at  present.  It  is  a  very  difficult  nut  we  have  to 
crack,  Mr.  Ferguson,"  he  went  on,  when  he  and  the 


66  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

first  lieutenant  were  alone.  "  To  attack  six  strongly 
armed  prahus  with  the  boats  of  this  ship  would  be 
a  serious  enterprise  indeed,  and  its  success  would  be 
very  doubtful,  while  the  loss  would  certainly  be  very 
heavy,  especially  as,  if  any  of  the  boats  were  sunk, 
the  crews  would  have  but  little  chance  in  a  place 
swarming  with  alligators.  I  don't  think  I  should 
be  justified  in  risking  such  an  enterprise." 

"  There  is  no  doubt,  sir,  the  loss  would  be  very 
heavy  indeed;  by  all  accounts,  these  Malays  fight 
like  demons  on  the  decks  of  their  own  boats,  and,  for 
aught  we  know,  they  may,  after  nightfall,  trice  up 
rattans  to  prevent  boarders  getting  on  board.  I 
have  heard  that  it  is  their  custom  when  they  expect 
an  attack,  and  that  these  are  far  more  formidable 
obstacles  than  our  boarding  nets.  Of  course  I 
should  be  quite  ready  to  lead  an  attack  should  you 
decide  upon  making  one,  but  I  cannot  conceal  from 
myself  that  it  would  be  a  well-nigh  desperate  under 
taking." 

"  I  am  glad  that  you  are  of  that  opinion,"  the  cap-, 
tain  said.  "  There  seems  to  me  but  one  course,  and 
that  a  difficult  one — namely,  to  carry  a  couple  of 
heavy  guns  through  the  forest  to  the  edge  of  the 
pool.  It  would  be  a  serious  undertaking,  and  we 
should  have  to  send  a  strong  force  to  defend  them, 
but  if  we  could  succeed  in  planting  them  in  position, 
we  should  soon  drive  the  Malays  out  of  the  pool." 

"  That  would  be  a  capital  plan,  Captain,  if  it  could 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  67 

be  managed.  I  suppose  before  we  attempt  it,  you 
will  take  possession  of  this  place,  and  capture  the 
rajah?" 

"  That  of  course.  I  don't  suppose  we  shall  cap 
ture  him.  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  are  closely 
watched  night  and  day,  and  that  the  instant  the 
boats  are  lowered,  and  the  men  get  on  board,  the 
rajah  would  prepare  for  flight,  though  he  might  pos 
sibly  make  some  resistance.  However,  that  would  be 
but  trifling;  our  guns  would  cover  the  landing,  and 
knock  the  place  about  his  ears;  but  to  penetrate  the 
jungle  would  be  vastly  more  difficult  an  affair.  If, 
as  is  probable,  he  has  succeeded  in  inducing  some  of 
his  neighbors  to  join  him,  they  may  have  already 
sent  strong  contingents,  and  the  forest  may  be  full 
of  them.  In  that  case  it  would  be  quite  beyond  our 
power  to  rout  them  out,  and  I  certainly  should  not 
be  justified  in  attempting  it.  The  destruction  of  his 
town  and  the  burning  of  his  palace  would  be  a 
serious  blow  to  him,  but  the  destruction  of  his  pirati 
cal  fleet  would  be  a  very  much  heavier  one.  If  we 
can  achieve  that,  we  shall  have  done  good  service. 

"  The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  find  out  whether  there 
is  a  path  either  from  this  river,  or  the  other  branch, 
to  the  pool.  If  so,  at  dark,  after  destroying  the 
town,  we  will  recall  all  the  men  on  shore,  buoy  the 
anchor  and  drop  it  noiselessly,  and  drift  down  the 
river  till  we  are  far  enough  away  to  use  the  engines, 
then  steam  down  to  the  junction  of  the  two  streams, 


03  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

and  up  again  to  the  entrance  to  the  creek  on  that 
side.  Then  we  will  at  once  land  a  very  strong 
party,  land  also  two  twenty-four-pounders,  and  drag 
them  to  the  pool.  We  might  hope  to  do  so  without 
any  opposition,  for  the  Malays  would  no  doubt  be 
gathered  at  the  edge  of  the  forest  near  the  town  to 
repel  any  attack  we  miry,t  make  from  there,  and 
before  morning  we  might  have  the  guns  in  position. 
I  should  take  a  hundred  empty  sacks.  These  you 
would  fill  with  earth  when  you  get  near  the  pool, 
and  form  a  battery  with  them  behind  the  screen  of 
bushes;  then,  when  you  are  ready,  you  will  cut  down 
the  bushes  and  open  fire." 

"  I  don't  see  why  that  should  not  succeed,  sir.  Of 
course  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  operation  is 
dragging  the  guns.  These  native  paths  are  only 
broad  enough  for  men  in  single  file." 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  difficulty.  We  could  not  em 
ploy  axes  to  cut  down  the  trees,  and  to  saw  them 
down  would  be  an  interminable  work.  I  think,  Mr. 
Ferguson,  we  should  have  to  carry  them." 

"  I  doubt  if  we  could  carry  a  twenty-four- 
pounder,  sir;  but  we  might  carry  an  eighteen.  They 
have  bamboos  of  almost  any  length  here,  and  if  we 
were  to  lash  an  eighteen-pounder  between  two  of 
them,  I  should  say  that  ten  men  each  side  ought  to 
able  to  carry  them,  while  as  many  more  might  take 
the  gun-carriage." 

"  We  will  get  some  bamboos  to-day,  Mr.  Fergu- 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  69 

son,  and  try  the  experiment  of  how  many  men  will 
be  required  to  carry  a  gun;  but  now  I  think  of  it, 
I  fancy  that  it  will  be  still  easier  to  lay  the  guns 
down  on  a  sledge-shaped  piece  of  timber — these 
paths  are  smooth  enough  where  the  natives  tread, 
and  the  men  could  haul  the  guns  along  with  ropes." 

"  That  would  be  better  and  easier,  sir.  The  diffi 
culty  with  the  carriages  will  be  greatest,  but  they 
might  be  taken  to  pieces  as  far  as  possible  and  slung 
on  bamboos." 

"  I  think  that  we  shall  be  able  to  manage  all  that," 
the  captain  said  cheerfully.  "  The  first  thing  is  to 
find  the  path.  There  is  almost  sure  to  be  one  from 
the  village  the  Malay  spoke  of  as  close  to  the  mouth 
of  the  creek,  and  the  pool,  and  if  we  send  the  boats 
up  as  soon  as  we  arrive  at  the  creek,  to  row  with 
muffled  oars,  until  they  get  near  the  pool,  and  then 
land  and  find  the  path,  it  would  diminish  very  much 
the  distance  they  would  have  to  go,  and  the  work  to 
be  done." 

"  It  would  be  a  great  thing  to  find  that  out  before 
hand,  sir.  If  you  like,  I  will  drop  down  the  river 
this  afternoon  in  the  gig;  that  will  attract  no  atten 
tion,  for  it  will  be  thought  that  we  are  merely  going 
fishing  or  shooting.  As  soon  as  it  is  dark  we  will 
mufBe  the  oars,  and  row  up  the  other  branch,  find 
the  mouth  of  the  creek  and  row  up  it,  first  find  how 
far  it  is  to  the  pool,  then  drop  down  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  and  land,  strike  into  the  jungle,  and  look  for 


70  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

the  path.  I  should,  of  course,  choose  a  point  where 
the  creek  bends  that  way,  for  as  the  path  no  doubt 
goes  straight  from  the  village  to  the  pool,  it  would  be 
nearer  the  creek  at  a  bend  than  it  would  be  at  any 
other  point.  If  is  a  sharp  bend  it  might  go  quite 
close  to  it." 

"  That  would  be  a  very  good  plan,  Mr.  Ferguson, 
and  as  you  have  proposed  it,  you  shall  take  com 
mand  of  the  boat;  otherwise  I  should  have  sent  either 
the  third  lieutenant  or  Morrison.  I  need  not  say 
that  it  will  be  necessary  to  use  the  greatest  caution, 
and  to  avoid  all  risks  as  much  as  possible,  though  I 
fancy  that  my  gig  would  run  away  from  any  of  the 
ordinary  native  craft;  but,  of  course,  the  great  point 
is  to  avoid  being  noticed,  for  were  one  of  our  boats 
seen  up  the  other  river  near  the  creek,  the  alarm 
would  be  given,  and  the  prahus  might  at  once  shift 
their  position,  and  make  up  the  river,  where  we 
should  have  little  chance  of  finding  them  again." 

"  I  quite  understand  that,  sir,  and  will  be  as  care 
ful  as  possible.  I  will  take  one  of  the  midshipmen 
with  me,  either  Mr.  Parkhurst  or  Mr.  Balderson; 
if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst  and  one  of  the  men 
were  hit,  he  could  man  his  oar,  or,  if  I  were  myself 
badly  wounded,  could  take  the  command.  I  think 
it  is  Balderson's  turn  for  boat  duty." 

"  Either  of  them  will  do,"  the  captain  said;  "  they 
are  both  strong,  active  lads,  and  as  steady  as  you 
can  expect  lads  to  be." 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  71 

Accordingly,  at  four  in  the  afternoon  the  captain's 
gig  was  lowered.  As  the  rule  was  that  all  men  on 
boat  duty  should  go  armed  no  surprise  had  been  ex 
cited  when  the  order  was  given  for  the  men  to  take 
their  muskets  and  cutlasses,  though,  when  an  extra 
supply  of  ammunition  and  a  brace  of  pistols  were 
served  out  to  each,  they  thought  that  something  un 
usual  was  in  the  wind,  and  there  was  a  grin  on  the 
men's  faces  when  a  hamper  of  provisions  was  placed 
in  the  bow  of  the  boat.  Dick  was  in  a  state  of  high 
but  suppressed  delight  when  informed  by  the  first 
lieutenant  that  he  was  to  accompany  him  on  a  boat 
expedition,  and  that  he  had  better  take  his  cloak 
with  him,  as  they  might  be  out  all  night. 

"  You  can  take  your  pistols  with  you,  Mr.  Balder- 
son;  it  is  not  likely  that  they  will  be  wanted,  but  it 
is  as  well  to  carry  them." 

Dick  borrowed  a  cutlass  from  the  armorer  and 
ground  it  down  to  a  razor  edge,  for  his  dirk  was  an 
altogether  useless  weapon  if  it  came  to  fighting.  He 
was  the  more  convinced  that  something  more  than 
usual  was  intended  when  he  saw  the  assistant- 
surgeon  place  a  parcel  in  the  stern  sheets. 

"  Bandages,  I  expect,"  he  said.  "  Where  do  you 
think  we  can  be  going,  Harry  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  you  are  going  up  the  creek  again,  Dick. 
Who's  going  in  command  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  heard.  Morrison  says  he  has  not 
been  told  off,  so  I  suppose  it  is  Hopkins;  in  fact,  if 


7»  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

you  are  going  up  the  creek,  it  is  sure  to  be  him,  as 
one  of  us  who  went  up  there  before  would  certainly 
be  in  command.  It  is  rum  they're  taking  the  cap 
tain's  gig.  He  is  very  particular  about  it,  and  it  is 
very  seldom  indeed  that  even  the  first  luff  uses  it." 

"  I  suppose  they  think  it  possible  that  you  may  be 
chased,  and  there  is  no  doubt  she  is  far  away  the 
fastest  boat  on  board.  She  is  not  a  dockyard  boat, 
but,  as  you  know,  is  one  the  captain  had  specially 
built  for  himself,  and  for  racing  if  we  were  at  any 
station  where  there  were  other  war-ships." 

When  four  o'clock  came,  and  the  first  lieutenant, 
with  his  cloak  over  his  arm,  came  out  and  took  his 
place  in  the  boat,  there  was  a  general  look  of  sur 
prise  among  the  sailors  leaning  on  the  rail  to  see  her 
put  off,  for  it  was  a  very  unusual  thing  for  the  first 
officer  to  take  the  command  when  only  a  single 
boat's  crew  were  going  out  on  any  expedition. 

"  Row  easy,  men,"  Mr.  Ferguson  said,  as  he  sat 
down  on  one  side  of  the  coxswain,  while  Dick  took 
his  place  on  the  other.  "  Drop  quietly  down  the 
river.  There  is  my  fishing-rod  by  your  side,  Mr. 
Balderson ;  you  may  as  well  begin  to  put  it  together 
at  once,  so  that  the  natives  on  shore  may  see  that  we 
are  going  on  a  fishing  expedition." 

They  rowed  some  ten  miles  down  at  a  leisurely 
pace,  and  then  the  boat's  grapnel  was  dropped  at  a 
bend  of  the  stream,  where  the  water  was  unusually 
deep,  and  several  baskets  of  fish  had  been  taken  at 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  73 

rariows  times.  A  spare  rod  was  brought  out  from 
Under  the  seat,  and  Mr.  Ferguson  and  Dick  began  to 
fish,  one  on  each  side  of  the  boat,  while  the  men  lay 
on  their  oars,  and  a  look  of  satisfaction  came  over 
their  faces  as  the  lieutenant  told  them  that  they  could 
smoke.  Hitherto,  Dick  had  been  in  ignorance  as  to 
the  object  of  the  expedition.  He  had  been  much 
surprised  when  the  order  had  been  given  for  the  boat 
to  row  down  the  river,  and  it  was  therefore  evident 
that  it  was  not  the  intention  of  the  first  officer  to 
again  explore  the  creek. 

Several  fish  were  caught,  but  as  soon  as  it  Jbecame 
dark  the  lieutenant  said,  "  You  can  throw  them 
overboard  again,  Mr.  Balderson;  we  don't  want  any 
extra  weight  in  the  boat,  and  these  fish  must  weigh 
thirty  pounds  at  least.  Now  what  do  you  suppose 
we  are  going  to  do?  " 

"  I  have  no  idea,  sir.  I  thought  that  we  might  be 
going  up  the  creek  that  Lieutenant  Hopkins  explored 
the  other  day,  to  have  another  look  at  the  prahus; 
but  as  we  came  down  the  river  instead  of  going  up, 
of  course  it  is  not  that." 

"  No ;  we  are  going  to  explore  the  creek,  but  from 
the  other  end." 

"  That  will  be  first-rate,  sir,  but  I  am  afraid  that 
we  shan't  find  water  enough  for  the  Serpent." 

"  No,  I  fear  that  there  is  little  chance  of  that;  still 
we  may  obtain  information  that  will  be  valuable." 

The  night  was  a  dark  one,  and  an  hour  after  sun- 


74  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

set  the  grapnel  was  got  up,  and  the  boat  continued 
its  way  down  the  river,  the  oars  being  now  muffled, 
and  the  strictest  silence  ordered. 

"  Keep  your  eyes  open,  Mr.  Balderson,"  the  lieu 
tenant  said.  "  I  think  that  it  must  be  another  three 
miles  to  the  point  where  the  river  forks.  The  other 
branch  comes  in  on  the  right,  so  we  will  keep  on  the 
left  bank.  I  don't  think  there  is  much  fear  of  our 
missing  the  junction  of  the  stream,  but  if  we  do,  we 
will  row  on  to  a  mile  below  the  point  where  we  think 
it  is,  then  cross  and  keep  up  on  the  other  side.  In 
that  way  we  cannot  miss  it." 

For  the  next  half-hour  no  word  was  spoken  in  the 
boat.  Dick  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  opposite  bank. 
Suddenly  he  touched  the  lieutenant.  "  There,  sir, 
that  must  be  it.  The  line  of  the  trees  has  suddenly 
stopped,  and  I  think  I  can  make  out  a  lower  line  be 
hind  it." 

"  Yes,  no  doubt  that  is  the  junction.  We  will  go 
two  hundred  yards  farther  down  before  we  cross;  it 
is  unlikely  in  the  extreme  that  anyone  is  watching 
us,  still  I  don't  want  to  run  the  slightest  risk." 

In  another  five  minutes  they  crossed  the  river, 
whose  increased  width  showed  them  that  they  had 
assuredly  passed  the  junction  of  the  stream.  Then 
they  turned  and  followed  the  right-hand  bank. 

"  Stretch  out  a  bit  now,  lads;  you  have  fifteen 
miles'  straight  rowing  before  you,  and  the  sooner 
you  get  to  the  other  end,  the  better.  We  may  have 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  75 

a  long  night's  work  before  us,  and  I  want  to  be  able 
to  get  to  the  place  where  we  fished,  before  morning." 

The  men  bent  to  their  oars,  and  the  boat  sped 
swiftly  along.  The  current  was  very  slight,  and 
after  two  hours'  rowing,  the  lieutenant  judged  that 
they  must  be  but  a  short  distance  from  the  village 
Hassan's  messenger  spoke  of.  Accordingly,  he  told 
the  coxswain  to  steer  across  to  the  other  bank,  and 
warned  the  men  that  the  slightest  splash  of  their  oars 
might  attract  attention,  and  that  they  were  to  row 
easier  for  the  present.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the 
wall  of  forest  ceased,  and  a  hundred  yards  farther 
they  saw  houses.  Two  or  three  dim  lights  were 
visible,  and  the  sound  of  voices  could  be  heard.  The 
boat's  head  was  now  turned  out  somewhat  farther 
into  the  stream,  so  as  to  be  out  of  sight  of  anyone 
who  might  by  chance  come  down  late  to  draw  water. 
After  rowing  a  hundred  yards  they  could  dimly 
make  out  the  outline  of  a  white  house.  There  was 
a  break  just  in  the  center,  and  the  outline  of  a  tree 
could  be  seen  above  the  roof.  Dick  leant  forward 
and  again  touched  the  lieutenant. 

"  That  must  be  the  house,  sir,"  he  whispered. 

Mr.  Ferguson  nodded  without  speaking;  and  after 
the  boat  had  gone  another  hundred  yards,  the  line  of 
forest  could  again  be  seen,  and  the  boat  was  rowed 
into  the  bank,  and  two  minutes  later  shot  through  a 
narrow  channel  and  entered  a  creek  some  forty  yards 
wide. 


76  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

"  Nowiyou  can  give  way  again,  lads."  An  hour's 
paddling  in  a  sampan  would  mean  about  three  miles, 
and  after  twenty  minutes'  sharp  rowing,  the  men 
were  ordered  to  row  easy  again,  and  the  lieutenant 
and  Dick  kept  an  anxious  lookout  ahead.  The  creek 
was  here  little  more  than  fifty  yards  across,  and,  ac 
customed  as  their  eyes  were  to  darkness,  they  pres 
ently  saw  that  it  widened  out  suddenly.  The  word 
was  passed  down  for  the  men  to  paddle  easily,  and 
in  two  minutes  the  pool  opened  before  them.  They 
could  not  make  out  the  prahus,  lying  as  they  did 
against  the  shadow  of  the  trees  on  the  farther  side, 
but  they  could  see  a  number  of  lights,  apparently 
from  swinging  lanterns,  and  hear  a  loud  murmur  of 
voices. 

"Easy  all,"  the  lieutenant  ordered  now;  "back 
her  very  quietly;  now  pull  bow." 

Noiselessly  the  boat  was  brought  round,  and  its 
head  directed  to  the  right-hand  bank.  They  had 
passed  a  sharp  bend  nearly  half  a  mile  back,  and  the 
lieutenant  said,  "  Look  out  for  a  landing  place  at 
the  deepest  point  of  the  cur/e,  Harris." 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir !  "  the  coxswain  said,  standing  up. 
A  minute  later  he  brought  the  boat  alongside,  at  a 
point  which  was  free  from  bushes,  and  where  the 
bank  was  but  two  feet  above  the  water's  edge, 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"Now,  Mr.  Balderson,  take  Harper  and  Win* 
thorpe,  and  make  your  way  through  the  jungle  aa 
noiselessly  as  possible.  It  is  probable  that  the  path 
runs  within  fifty  yards  of  this  point,  possibly  it  is 
only  half  a  dozen.  When  you  have  found  it,  send 
Winthorpe  back  to  me  with  the  news.  Take  that 
long  coil  of  thin  rope  that  is  in  the  bow,  and  pay  it 
out  as  you  go  along.  You  might  get  lost  even 
within  two  yards  of  the  stream,  and  it  would  be  dan 
gerous  to  call  or  whistle.  It  will  enable  me  to  join 
you.  Leave  your  muskets  behind,  lads;  they  would 
only  be  in  the  way  in  the  jungle,  and  you  have  your 
pistol  and  cutlasses.  You  take  the  lantern,  Win 
thorpe,  and  Harper,  do  you  take  the  rope.  Fasten 
one  end  to  the  thwart  before  you  start,  or,  without 
knowing  it,  you  might  drag  it  after  you." 

Dick  led  the  way,  the  others  following  close  be 
hind,  but  as  soon  as  they  were  among  the  trees,  he 
was  obliged  to  take  the  lantern,  for  the  darkness  was 
so  intense  that  he  could  not  see  an  inch  before  him, 
and  would  have  been  torn  to  pieces  by  the  thorny 
creepers  had  he  tried  to  penetrate  without  a  light. 

As  it  was,  he  received  several  nasty  scratches,  and 
could  hear  muttered  exclamations  from  the  men  be- 

77 


78  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

hind'  him.  Creeping-  under  some  of  the  rattans, 
making  detours  to  avoid  others,  and  cutting  some  of 
the  smaller  ones  in  two  with  his  cutlass,  he  made  his 
way  forward,  and  was  delighted  indeed  when,  after 
proceeding  some  twenty  yards,  he  came  upon  the 
edge  of  what  looked  like  a  ditch,  but  which  was,  as 
he  knew,  the  native  path. 

"  Here  we  are,  lads,"  he  exclaimed  in  a  low  tone; 
"  thank  goodness  we  have  not  had  to  go  farther." 

"  So  say  I,  sir,"  one  of  the  men  grumbled;  "  if  it 
had  not  been  for  your  lantern  I  should  have  been 
torn  to  pieces.  As  it  is,  I  aint  sure  whether  my  eyes 
aint  gone,  and  my  nose  and  cheeks  are  scratched  as 
if  I  had  been  fighting  with  a  mad  cat" 

"  Here,  Winthorpe,  take  the  lantern  and  make 
your  way  back ;  darken  it  as  soon  as  you  get  through 
to  the  edge  of  the  creek.  You  cannot  go  wrong 
with  the  cord  to  guide  you." 

Two  or  three  minutes  later  Dick  saw  the  light 
approaching  again,  and  the  lieutenant,  the  coxswain, 
and  two  bluejackets  joined  him,  Winthorpe  and  an 
other  having  been  left  as  boat-keepers. 

"  Now,  Harris,  do  you  and  one  of  the  others  go 
on  ahead;  we  will  follow  fifty  yards  behind  you. 
If  you  hear  anyone  coming,  give  a  low  whistle;  we 
will  then  turn  off  the  light.  You  can  walk  on  con 
fidently,  for  there  is  no  chance  of  any  of  tiiese 
orickly  creepers  running  across  the  path,  When 
you  see  the  trees  are  getting  thinner,  or  that  there  is 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  79 

an  opening  before  you,  stop  and  send  back  word  to 
us,  so  that  we  can  shut  up  the  lantern  before  join 
ing  you." 

The  lieutenant  headed  the  party  now,  followed  by 
Dick.  He  held  the  lantern  close  to  the  ground ;  the 
bottom  was,  like  all  jungle  paths,  worn  perfectly 
smooth  by  the  passage  of  the  barefooted  natives. 

"  Nothing  could  be  better,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice 
to  Dick.  "  We  ought  to  be  able  to  haul  the  guns 
along  here  at  a  trot ;  and  the  opening  is  wide  enough 
on  each  side  for  a  gun-carriage  to  be  carried  along 
without  any  difficulty." 

In  ten  minutes  one  of  the  men  ahead  came  back. 

"  We  have  got  to  the  end  of  the  path,  sir;  it  ends 
on  the  bank  of  that  pool  we  saw  ahead." 

The  lantern  was  now  extinguished,  and  the  party 
hurried  forward.  On  reaching  the  bank  they  found 
that  the  path  ended,  as  they  had  expected,  just  oppo 
site  the  village.  The  prahus  lay  somewhat  to  the 
right. 

"  It  could  not  be  better,"  the  lieutenant  whis 
pered.  "  Now  let  us  see  whether  v/e  can  find  a  suit 
able  place  for  the  guns." 

This  was  much  easier  than  they  had  expected,  for 
the  trees  were  cleared,  probably  to  furnish  firewood, 
for  a  distance  of  some  fifteen  yards  from  the  bank; 
between  this  cleared  place  and  the  water  was  a  fringe 
of  thick  bushes. 

"This  will  do  capitally,  lads.     Now  we  will  be 


«o  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

off  at  once;  we  have  found  out  all  that  we  wanted, 
and  nothing  could  be  more  satisfactory." 

They  retraced  their  steps  rapidly  till  they  cam« 
to  the  coil  of  cord  looped  on  a  low  bough.  The 
coxswain  took  it  down,  and  they  were  soon  all  on 
board  the  boat  again. 

"  Now,  lads,  row  as  noiselessly  as  you  can  to  the 
mouth  of  the  pool  again,  then  turn,  and  lay  on  your 
oars,  except  bow  and  two,  who  are  to  paddle  very 
slowly.  Hand  Mr.  Balderson  that  twenty-foot 
bamboo;  I  want  to  sound  the  river  as  we  come 
back." 

As  soon  as  the  boat  was  again  turned,  Dick  took 
the  pole,  and,  standing  .up,  thrust  it  down  into  the 
water. 

"  Only  about  seven  feet,  sir,"  he  whispered. 

"  That  is  bad.  It  is  evident  that  the  ship  cannot 
get  up  here;  still  we  may  as  well  go  on  sounding." 

"  The  water  is  gradually  deepening,"  Dick  said, 
thrusting  the  pole  down  again;  "there  are  nearly 
ten  feet."  It  was  not  long  before  he  announced 
fifteen,  and  at  that  continued  until  they  reached  the 
entrance  to  the  creek,  where  it  was  only  fourteen 
feet. 

"  It  would  be  a  touch  and  go  there,"  the  lieutenant 
said,  "  but  I  dare  say  she  could  be  pushed  through. 
It  is  very  unfortunate  that  there  is  that  shallow  bar 
this  side  of  the  pool.  And  now,  lads,  you  can  lay 
out  for  ten  minutes,  and  then  we  can  fasten  up  to  a 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES,  8 1 

bough  and  see  what  is  in  the  hamper.  We  have 
done  our  work  earlier  than  I  had  expected,  and  can 
take  it  easy/' 

The  steward  had  provided  them  with  an  ample 
store  of  food,  and  the  men  ate  their  hunks  of  cold 
meat  and  bread,  and  passed  round  the  pannikins  of 
grog,  with  great  contentment,  while  the  officers  di 
vided  a  cold  chicken  and  a  bottle  of  claret. 

"  Now,  men,"  the  lieutenant  said,  when  they  had 
finished,  "  you  can  have  a  quarter  of  an  hour's 
smoke.  You  must  open  the  lantern  in  the  bottom 
of  the  boat,  and  hold  a  jacket  over  it  to  prevent  the 
light  falling  on  any  of  you." 

When  the  men  had  lit  their  pipes  the  lantern  was 
passed  aft,  and  while  the  coxswain  put  his  jacket 
over  it,  the  lieutenant  lit  a  cigar. 

"  You  smoke,  don't  you,  Balderson?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  began  when  we  came  up  the  river; 
the  doctor  said  it  is  a  good  thing  to  keep  off 
miasma." 

"  Very  well,  then  light  up;  I  think  that  it  is  a 
good  thing  myself.  We  have  done  a  very  satisfac 
tory  night's  work,  and  I  think  we  see  our  way  now 
to  getting  rid  of  most  of  those  piratical  craft,  which 
will  not  only  be  a  benefit  to  traders  on  the  coast  of 
the  river,  but  will  greatly  please  all  the  other  chiefs, 
and  will  enable  them  to  hold  their  own  against 
Sehi." 

Five  minutes  were  added  to  the  promised  quarter, 


82  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

and  then  the  pipes  were  laid  down,  and  the  boat  pro 
ceeded  at  a  steady  stroke  until  they  reached  the  spot 
where  they  had  fished. 

"  Somewhere  about  here,  lad?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  think  that  this  is  just  the  place.  I 
noticed  that  tall  tree  rising  above  the  general  line 
just  opposite  where  we  were  anchored." 

"Then  lower  the  grapnel;  in  oars." 

Another  bottle  was  produced  from  the  hamper; 
the  lieutenant  filled  a  wine-glass  full  and  drank  it 
off,  and  then  passed  the  glass  over  to  Dick. 

"What  is  it,  sir?" 

"  It  is  some  grog,  with  a  large  dose  of  quinine. 
The  doctor  begged  me  to  give  it  an  hour  or  two  be 
fore  daylight.  Now,  lads,  you  are  each  to  take  a 
glass  of  this;  it  will  protect  you  against  the  effect 
of  the  mist  on  the  river.  You  can  show  the  lantern 
now;  it  is  just  as  well  that  they  should  see  it  if  they 
are  on  the  lookout." 

Every  man  took  his  glass  of  the  mixture. 

"  Now  wrap  yourselves  in  your  blankets,  lads, 
and  lie  down  for  a  couple  of  hours'  sleep."  After  a 
minute  or  two's  scuffling  while  each  found  a  plank 
to  suit  him,  all  was  quiet  in  the  boat.  Dick,  who  felt 
far  too  excited  over  the  events  of  the  night  to  be 
sleepy,  had  volunteered  to  keep  watch,  and,  lighting 
another  pipe  at  the  lantern,  smoked  till  it  was  broad 
daylight  Then  he  roused  the  crew,  and  in  less  than 
two  hours  afterwards  they  rowed  alongside  the  Ser- 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  8$ 

$ent.  The  captain  was  greatly  pleased  with  Mr. 
Ferguson's  report. 

"  It  is  unlucky  about  that  bar  in  the  creek,  other 
wise  we  might  have  taken  the  ship  right  into  the 
pool,  and  fought  it  out  with  them  there.  Still,  it 
may  be  that  this  will  be  the  best  in  the  end,  for  we 
could  hardly  have  counted  upon  sinking  the  whole 
of  them,  and  once  past  us  they  would  have  been  off 
like  the  wind;  and  though  we  might  have  followed 
some  of  them,  the  others  would  have  made  off,  some 
one  way  and  some  another,  whereas,  by  laying  the 
vessel  across  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  we  have  a  good 
chance  of  catching  them  all  as  they  come  down. 
There  is  no  doubt  a  lot  more  fellows  have  arrived  to 
help  the  rajah;  we  can  see  that  there  are  a  great  many 
more  about  on  the  shore  than  there  have  been  before. 
I  think  things  will  come  to  a  crisis  before  many 
hours  have  passed.  We  have  made  out  that  men 
keep  coming  and  going  behind  that  row  of  six  huts 
facing  the  river,  and  I  should  not  be  surprised  if 
they  are  not  hard  at  work  establishing  a  battery 
there." 

Presently  two  Malays,  whom  they  recognized  as 
belonging  to  the  rajah's  council,  advanced  to  the 
edge  of  the  shore,  which  was  but  some  fifty  yards 
away.  One  of  them  held  a  pole  to  which  a  white 
cloth  was  attached. 

"  I  have  a  message  from  the  rajah,"  he  shouted 
out.  The  captain  sent  for  the  interpreter,  and  went 
to  the  side  of  the  quarterdeck. 


84  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

"  The  rajah  says  that  he  does  not  want  to  have 
any  more  to  say  to  you.  You  want  to  take  his  coun 
try;  he  will  not  let  you  have  it,  and  if  you  do  not  go 
away  in  an  hour,  he  will  sink  your  ship." 

"  Tell  him,"  the  captain  said,  "  that  it  will  be  the 
worse  for  him  if  he  tries  it.  I  came  up  here  at  his 
invitation,  and  shall  stay  just  as  long  as  I  please." 

The  two  Malays  retired,  walking  in  a  quiet  and 
dignified  way. 

The  news  soon  ran  through  the  ship  of  the  de 
fiance  that  had  been  given,  and  excited  the  liveliest 
satisfaction.  The  men  were  shaking  hands,  cutting 
capers,  and  indulging  in  much  joking  and  laughter. 
Half  an  hour  later  there  was  a  sudden  uproar  in  the 
town,  drums  were  beaten,  horns  sounded,  and  the 
Malays  by  the  river  bank  speedily  retired  behind  the 
huts. 

"  You  had  better  get  the  magazine  opened,  Mr. 
Ferguson,  and  everything  in  readiness,  but  we  won't 
beat  to  quarters  till  they  begin." 

The  tumult  on  shore  increased,  and  soon  a  few 
shots  were  fired  from  behind  houses  and  walls,  the 
balls  whistling  overhead. 

'  There  won't  be  much  of  that,"  the  captain  said, 
as  he  walked  up  and  down  the  quarterdeck  with  the 
first  lieutenant;  "  we  have  seen  very  few  guns  among 
them.  I  should  doubt  if  there  are  a  hundred  in  the 
town.  What  there  are  were,  no  doubt,  captured 
from  trading  vessels  the  scoundrels  have  plundered 
and  burned." 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  85 

A  few  minutes  later  the  bamboos  forming  the  wall 
of  the  six  houses  where  a  bustle  had  been  observed 
fell  outward,  the  lashings  having  been  cut  by  a 
swarm  of  Malays,  who,  as  soon  as  the  last  fell,  ran 
back,  showing  eight  brass  cannon. 

"  Beat  to  quarters,  Mr.  Ferguson,"  the  Captain 
feaid  quietly,  and  at  the  first  tap  of  the  drum  the 
sailors,  who  had  been  expecting  the  order,  ran  to 
their  stations.  As  they  gained  them  the  little  bat 
tery  on  shore  opened  fire.  Although  the  distance 
was  but  a  hundred  yards,  only  three  of  the  balls  hit 
the  hull,  the  others  passing  through  the  masts. 

"  Load  with  grape,"  the  captain  ordered. 

"  Captain  Hugeson,"  he  said  to  the  Marine  officer, 
"  will  you  place  your  men  on  the  poop,  and  tell  them 
to  open  fire  as  soon  as  the  guns  send  the  Malays  fly 
ing  from  their  battery?  I  can  see  that  there  are 
large  numbers  gathered  round  it.  Mr.  Ferguson, 
will  you  see  that  the  guns  are  all  laid  on  that  bat 
tery?  When  they  are  ready,  fire  a  broadside  that 
will  clear  the  place  out  at  once." 

Two  minutes  later  there  was  a  crash  as  the  whole 
of  the  guns  on  the  starboard  side  were  discharged  at 
the  same  moment.  The  effect  was  tremendous,  and 
the  storm  of  grape  swept  away  the  whole  of  the 
buildings  beneath  which  the  guns  were  standing. 
Three  of  these  were  dismounted,  and  not  one  of  the 
men  who  had  been  crowded  round  them  remained 
on  his  feet  Numbers  were  seen  running  away  in 


86  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

all  directions,  and  a  volley  from  the  marines  brought 
several  of  these  down. 

"  There  is  an  end  to  the  attack,"  the  captain  said 
quietly.  "  Order  the  men  to  load  with  shell,  and  to 
direct  their  aim  in  the  first  place  at  the  rajah's  palace; 
there  is  no  occasion  for  rapid  firing." 

Gun  after  gun  sent  its  messenger  into  the  palace, 
and  in  three  or  four  minutes  flames  were  seen  rising 
from  it.  The  order  was  then  given  to  fire  with 
grape  at  all  the  houses  facing  the  water.  In  the 
meantime  the  men  were  called  from  their  guns  on 
the  port  side,  and  the  boats  lowered.  The  marines 
and  all  the  sailors,  save  those  serving  the  starboard 
guns,  took  their  places  in  them,  the  first  lieutenant 
taking  the  command,  and  on  the  word  being  given 
they  dashed  with  a  cheer  towards  the  shore,  and, 
leaping  out,  formed  up,  and  led  by  their  officers  ran 
forward,  not  a  shot  being  fired  by  the  Malays  as  they 
did  so. 

The  fire  of  the  ship's  guns  was  now  directed  to 
wards  the  portion  of  the  town  facing  the  forest,  as 
it  was  here  that  the  Malays  would  probably  be  gath 
ered.  Port  fires  had  been  distributed  among  the 
landing  party.  As  these  were  lost  to  sight  as  they 
entered  the  town,  those  on  board  ship  watched 
eagerly  for  the  sound  of  combat.  Nothing,  how 
ever,  was  heard  for  a  minute  or  two;  then  came  a 
single  shot,  and  then  a  rattle  of  musketry. 

"  They  are  making  a  stand  now,"  the  captain  said. 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  87 

"  Mr.  Hopkins,  will  you  please  go  round  and  tell 
the  gunners  to  be  very  careful  in  their  aim?  Let 
them  watch  the  smoke  rising  among  the  houses, 
and  aim  a  short  distance  beyond  it.  Impress  upon 
them  that  it  is  better  to  fire  too  far  than  to  risk  hurt 
ing  our  own  men." 

The  order  was  obeyed;  soon  flames  were  seen  to 
rise  beyond  the  spot  where  the  fighting  was  going 
on,  the  resistance  to  the  advance  speedily  ceased, 
and  a  dropping  fire  took  the  place  of  the  sustained 
roll  of  musketry  which,  five  minutes  later,  broke  out 
again  at  the  edge  of  the  town  facing  the  wood,  and 
the  fire  of  the  guns  was  now  directed  against  the 
edge  of  the  forest,  to  which  the  Malays  had  evidently 
fled.  In  a  few  minutes  smoke  began  to  rise  all 
round  the  place,  showing  that  the  men  with  port 
fires  were  at  work,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the 
bluejackets  and  marines  were  seen  issuing  from  the 
houses  and  coming  down  to  the  shore.  The  place 
was  by  this  time  a  sheet  of  fire,  the  lightly  built  huts, 
dried  in  the  heat  of  the  sun,  catching  like  tinder,  and 
blazing  up  in  a  fierce  flame,  that  in  a  few  minutes 
left  no  vestige  behind  it. 

The  ship's  fire  had  by  this  time  ceased,  and  the 
sailors,  as  they  looked  out  of  the  port-holes,  cheered 
as  the  boats  came  up.  Their  appearance  was  far 
less  orderly  than  it  had  been  when  they  put  off  from 
the  ship,  every  man  having  carried  off  some  sort  of 
loot — sarongs,  spears,  krises,  and  other  artideSi 


88  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

some  obtained  from  the  huts,  others  thrown  away  by 
the  Malays  in  their  flight.  There  were,  too,  some 
articles  of  European  manufacture,  which  had  been 
carried  off  from  the  palace  before  the  flames  had  ob 
tained  entire  possession.  These  were  in  themselves 
strong  proofs  that  the  rajah's  prahus  had  been  en 
gaged  in  piratical  attacks  upon  European  craft,  for 
they  consisted  of  bales  of  silk,  chronometers, 
watches,  double-barreled  guns,  mirrors,  and  other 
articles  which  had  evidently  formed  portion  of  a 
ship's  fittings. 

"  Any  casualties,  Mr.  Ferguson  ? "  the  captain 
asked,  as  the  lieutenant  stepped  on  board. 

"  Half  a  dozen  spear  wounds,  sir,  but  only  one  of 
a  serious  nature;  our  fire  was  too  hot  for  them  to 
face." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  their  loss  has  been  ?  " 

"  As  far  as  I  can  judge,  sir,  some  eighty  or  ninety 
were  killed  by  our  fire,  and  at  least  as  many  must 
have  fallen  in  the  battery;  the  place  was  choked  up 
with  dead.  I  have  brought  the  eight  guns  off;  they 
are  only  four-pounders." 

"  They  may  be  useful  for  the  boats.  I  see  the 
men  have  brought  off  a  good  deal  of  rubbish.  You 
had  better  give  orders  that  whatever  there  is  is  to 
be  fairly  divided  among  all  hands.  Any  articles 
more  valuable  than  the  rest  had  better  be  put  up  to 
auction,  and  whatever  they  fetch  also  divided  among 
the  men.  Were  the  Malays  in  force?  " 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  89 

**  The  place  swarmed  with  them,  sir,  but  they  were 
evidently  demoralized  by  the  fire  ci  the  guns,  and 
their  attacks  were  really  feeble.  The  only  trouble 
we  had  was  that  some  would  shut  themselves  up  in 
houses.  It  looked  at  first  as  if  they  really  meant  to 
fight,  but  directly  the  shells  began  to  fall  behind 
them,  and  fire  broke  out,  they  lost  heart  altogether, 
and  made  a  bolt  for  the  forest." 

"  Well,  the  work  has  been  thoroughly  done,  Mr. 
Ferguson,  and  Sehi  has  had  a  lesson  that  he  won't 
forget.  Now  we  have  to  tackle  his  fleet." 

"  Everything  is  ready,  sir.  We  have  got  the 
sledges  made  for  the  two  guns,  and  a  store  of  long 
bamboos  for  the  carriages  and  anything  else  we  may 
want  to  take  with  us." 

"  This  will  be  a  more  serious  business  by  a  long 
way,"  the  captain  said.  "  The  men  had  better  take 
a  hundred  rounds  of  ammunition  with  them,  and  it 
would  be  as  well  to  take  a  few  boxes  of  spare  car 
tridges;  and  the  men  not  occupied  in  dragging  the 
cannon  and  carrying  the  carriages,  must  take  up  as 
many  rounds  of  shell  as  possible,  and  eight  or  ten 
rounds  of  grape  for  each  gun.  You  have  got  the 
sacks  ready  for  forming  the  battery;  that  will  be 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  men 
firing.  Each  of  the  prahus  has  probably  got  at 
least  half  a  dozen  small  guns,  and  it  would  be  hardly 
possible  to  work  our  pieces  unless  the  men  were  pro 
tected  from  their  eoncentrated  fire.  Tell  the  chief 


90  AMONG  MAc.AY  PIRATES. 

engineer  that  steam  must  be  got  up  by  six  o'clock. 
In  the  meantime,  let  a  slow  fire  be  kept  up  towards 
the  edge  of  the  forest,  just  a  shot  every  five  minutes, 
which  will  be  enough  to  show  them  we  are  still  here, 
and  have  not  done  with  them  yet.  When  the  place 
cools  down  a  bit,  we  will  send  a  party  on  shore  to 
keep  up  a  dropping  fire  against  the  forest,  and  so  in 
duce  them  to  believe  that  we  mean  to  attack  them 
there." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DURING  the  rest  of  the  day  preparations  were 
actively  carried  on  for  the  night's  work.  The  fifty 
marines  and  a  hundred  bluejackets  were  to  take  part 
in  the  landing  expedition;  the  ammunition  to  bfc 
carried  was  ranged  along  the  deck,  and  the  men  told 
off  for  the  various  work  there  was  to  be  done,  some 
being  allotted  to  carry  stretchers  and  surgical  re 
quirements  for  the  wounded.  The  first  lieutenant 
was  to  command  the  party,  having  with  him  the 
third  lieutenant,  the  master's  mate,  and  the  two 
senior  midshipmen;  besides,  of  course,  the  marine 
officers.  Dr.  Horsley  was  also  to  accompany  them. 
Some  cartridges  were  made  up  with  powder  and 
musket  bullets  for  two  of  the  brass  guns  captured, 
in  order  that,  if  the  Malays  succeeded  in  landing, 
they  might  meet  with  a  hot  reception.  It  was  de 
cided  that  no  carriages  should  be  taken  for  them,  but 
that  they  should  be  simply  laid  on  the  sand-bags. 

The  party  on  shore  had  kept  up  a  fire  all  day  at  the 
forest.  The  yells  of  defiance  which  at  times  rose 
showed  that  the  Malays  were  in  great  force  all  round 
its  edge.  Towards  evening  all  on  shore  returned  to 
the  ship.  As  soon  as  it  became  absolutely  dark,  the 
anchor  chain  was  unshackled,  and  a  buoy  being  at- 

Q* 


92  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

tached  to  the  end,  it  was  noiselessly  lowered  into  the 
water.  Then  the  screw  began  to  revolve,  and  the 
vessel  gradually  backed  down  the  river.  All  lights 
had  been  extinguished,  and  no  sound  from  the  forest 
showed  that  the  movement  had  been  observed.  A 
mile  lower  down  the  ship  was  turned,  the  screw 
began  to  revolve  more  rapidly,  and  at  half-speed  she 
ran  down  to  the  junction  of  the  two  branches  of  the 
river,  and  steamed  up  the  other  arm  until  within  half 
a  mile  or  so  of  the  village  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek. 
Then  a  light  anchor  was  let  go,  the  boats  were  low 
ered,  and  the  landing  party  took  their  places  in  them; 
the  oars  were  all  muffled,  and  keeping  close  to  the 
right  bank  of  the  river,  they  rowed  up  until  past  the 
village,  and  then  crossing,  entered  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  and  rowed  up  it  until  they  reached  the  spot 
where  the  landing  had  been  effected  on  the  previous 
night. 

Half  a  dozen  men  provided  with  well-greased 
saws  first  landed  under  Dick  Balderson's  command, 
and  cleared  a  passage  six  feet  wide  to  the  path ;  then 
the  landing  began  in  earnest.  The  guns  were  first 
put  on  shore,  and  carried  bodily  to  the  path ;  the  rest 
of  the  marines  and  the  bluejackets  then  landed,  each 
carrying,  in  addition  to  his  arms  and  ammunition, 
a  gun  cartridge,  or  a  box  of  rifle  ammunition,  and  a 
couple  of  empty  sacks.  As  fast  as  they  landed  they 
proceeded  up  the  path.  Dick  Balderson  led  the  way, 
and  the  men  were  directed  to  step  as  closely  as  they 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  93 

could  to  each  other.  As  they  arrived  near  the  pool, 
each  deposited  his  burden,  and  then  went  back  to 
assist  to  drag  up  the  guns  and  carriages. 

Scarcely  a  sound  was  heard  during  the  operation. 
Their  feet  fell  noiselessly  on  the  soft  earth  of  the 
track,  and  no  one  a  few  yards  away  would  have 
guessed  that  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  were  engaged 
in  laborious  toil.  There  was  far  more  noise  than 
there  had  been  the  night  before  on  board  the  prahus, 
an  incessant  jabber  being  maintained,  and  voices 
rang  high  in  excitement  as  the  men  discussed  the 
destruction  of  the  town  and  the  orders  that  had  been 
received  for  a  portion  of  them  to  land  on  the  follow 
ing  morning  and  take  part  in  the  annihilation  of  the 
whites  if  they  entered  into  the  forest.  As  soon  as 
the  two  heavy  guns  were  placed  upon  their  carriages, 
just  behind  the  screen  of  bushes,  the  greater  portion 
of  the  men  were  sent  back  as  far  as  the  point  where 
they  had  landed,  there  to  fill  the  sacks  with  earth 
from  the  bank  of  the  river,  a  number  of  shovels  hav 
ing  been  brought  for  the  purpose. 

Several  large  bundles  of  bamboos,  cut  into  lengths 
six  feet  long,  and  sharpened  at  both  ends,  had  been 
among  the  articles  taken  up  to  the  battery,  and  while 
most  of  the  men  were  engaged  filling  and  carrying 
the  sacks  of  earth,  some  were  employed  in  construct 
ing  chevaux-de-jrise ,  ten  paces  on  each  side  of  the 
spot  where  the  battery  was  being  constructed.  The 
bamboos  were  set  diagonally  a  foot  and  a  half  into 


9{.  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

the  soft  earth,  and  bound  together  by  being-  lashed  to 
strong  poles  running  along  them.  These  fences  ex 
tended  from  the  edge  of  the  bushes  by  the  water  to 
the  trees.  The  forest  behind  was  so  thick  and  en 
tangled  with  creepers  that  there  was  little  fear  of 
an  attack  being  made  from  that  quarter. 

Accustomed  to  work  in  the  darkness,  the  sailors 
had  no  difficulty  in  carrying  out  the  operation,  and 
before  morning  broke  the  battery  was  complete.  It 
was  six  feet  high  on  the  side  facing  the  water,  with 
two  embrasures  for  the  guns,  four  feet  high  on  the 
sides  covered  by  the  chevaux-de-frise.  The  front 
face  was  twenty-five  feet  in  length,  the  sides  forty. 
Morning  was  breaking  as  the  work  was  finished,  and 
bread  and  cold  meat  were  served  out,  with  a  full 
ration  of  grog.  By  the  time  these  were  consumed 
it  was  broad  daylight;  for  there  is  little  twilight  so 
near  the  equator. 

"  Now  for  it,  Dick,"  Harry  Parkhurst  said,  as  the 
lieutenant  gave  the  signal  for  all  to  rise  and  take 
their  places.  Filing  out  of  the  battery,  the  marines 
lined  the  bank  on  one  side,  and  the  sailors,  other 
than  those  who  were  to  work  the  guns,  on  the  other. 
Some  of  the  sailors  climbed  over  the  front  wall  and 
with  their  jackknives  cut  away  the  boughs  in  front 
of  the  guns.  There  was  silence  on  board  the  prahus, 
where  the  Malays  had  dropped  off  to  sleep  a  couple 
of  hours  before  daylight.  Mr.  Ferguson  himself 
superintended  the  laying  of  the  guns,  seeing  that 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  95 

each  was  most  carefully  trained  upon  the  waterline 
of  a  prahu.  As  the  distance  was  some  seventy  or 
eighty  yards,  he  had  little  doubt  that  the  two  vessels 
aimed  at  would  be  sunk  at  once.  When  he  was  thor 
oughly  satisfied,  he  drew  back  and  gave  the  order 
to  fire. 

The  two  reports  sounded  as  if  one,  and  were 
mingled  with  the  explosion  of  shells  as  they  struck 
the  prahus  exactly  on  the  waterline.  There  was  a 
momentary  silence,  and  then  a  wild  hubbub  of  yells 
of  surprise  and  fury,  while  a  loud  cheer  broke  from 
the  British,  as  they  saw  the  success  of  the  shots. 
Almost  instantly  the  two  craft  struck  began  to 
settle  down,  and  in  a  minute  disappeared,  the  water 
being  covered  with  the  heads  of  the  crew,  who  were 
swimming  to  the  other  prahus.  The  guns  of  these 
had  evidently  been  kept  loaded,  for  before  the  two 
eighteen-pounders  were  again  ready,  a  fire  was 
opened  by  the  four  craft,  one  or  two  balls  striking 
the  sand-bags,  while  the  rest  went  crashing  into  the 
•forest  behind.  Every  shot  from  the  British  guns 
struck  the  prahus,  but  none  effected  such  damage  as 
the  first  two  fired. 

"  They  are  taking  to  their  boats,  Ferguson,"  the 
doctor,  who  was  standing  beside  him,  said. 

"  Yes,  but  I  fancy  they  have  no  thought  of  giving 
it  up  at  present;  they  are  going-  to  make  a  dash  at  us. 
They  can  still  work  their  guns  and  spare  any  amount 
of  men  to  attack  us." 


96  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

The  next  minute,  indeed,  a  dozen  boats,  crammed 
with  men,  shot  round  from  behind  the  prahus. 

"  Grape  now,"  the  lieutenant  ordered,  while,  at 
the  same  moment,  the  marines  and  seamen,  who  had 
hitherto  been  silent,  opened  fire  from  under  the 
bushes,  beneath  which  they  were  enabled  to  obtain 
a  view  of  what  was  going  on. 

Two  of  the  boats  were  sunk  by  the  discharge  of 
the  grape;  but  the  others,  without  checking  their 
course,  pushed  on. 

"  Quick,  lads,  give  them  another  round  before  it 
is  too  late." 

The  guns  were  loaded  with  incredible  quickness, 
and  two  more  of  the  boats  were  shattered,  their 
swarthy  occupants  striking  out  for  the  shore,  mak 
ing  for  the  most  part  towards  the  battery,  as  did  the 
boats.  Twenty  of  the  sailors  and  as  many  marines 
were  at  once  called  in  from  the  bank  to  aid  in  the 
defense  of  the  battery,  and  a  desperate  conflict  was 
presently  raging  here  and  along  the  bank,  the  Ma 
lays,  swarming  up,  striving  to  force  their  way  up 
through  the  embrasures,  or  to  climb  the  sand-bags; 
but  as  fast  as  they  did  so,  they  were  cut  down  or 
bayoneted  by  its  defenders.  Those  trying  to  land 
at  other  points  were  impeded  by  the  bushes,  and 
numbers  were  killed;  but  they  pressed  on  so  furi 
ously  that  at  last  Mr.  Ferguson,  who  had  been  mov 
ing  backwards  and  forwards  sdong  the  line,  thought 
it  best  tr  call  the  mei>  to,  vid  in  a  minute  or  two  the 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  97 

whole  party  were  collected  in  the  little  fort,  and 
ranged  along  the  sides. 

With  furious  yells  the  Malays  came  on,  and  al 
though  swept  by  volleys  of  musketry  reached  the 
bamboos,  which  they  strove  in  vain  to  pluck  up  or 
climb.  In  the  meantime  the  eighteen-pounders  had 
never  ceased  their  fire,  the  sailors  working  them 
steadily,  regardless  of  the  fight  that  was  going  on 
on  either  flank.  Here  the  little  brass  guns  did  good 
service;  each  time  they  were  fired  the  recoil  sent 
them  tumbling  from  the  top  of  the  sand-bags,  only, 
however,  to  be  seized,  sponged,  and  loaded,  by  the 
four  sailors  in  charge  of  each,  and  then  lifted  to  their 
place  again,  crammed  with  bullets  to  the  muzzle,  in 
readiness  to  check  the  next  charge  of  the  Malays. 
Suddenly  their  yells  redoubled,  and  were  answered 
by  similar  shouts  from  the  forest. 

"  The  rajah's  troops  have  come  up,"  the  first  lieu 
tenant  said  to  the  marine  officer;  "  our  position  is 
getting  serious.  Do  you  think  that  we  could  make 
our  way  back  to  the  boats  without  great  loss  ?  We 
have  sunk  two  of  their  craft,  have  badly  damaged 
the  others,  and  inflicted  very  heavy  loss  on  them." 

"  It  would  be  a  very  risky  operation;  but  it  might 
be  done,  Ferguson.  Listen !  " 

There  was  a  fresh  outburst  of  shouts,  this  time  on 
the  path  by  which  they  had  come.  Evidently  a  num 
ber  of  the  newly  arrived  Malays  had  struck  into  it 
by  some  other  track  from  the  town. 


gg  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

"  That  settles  it,"  the  lieutenant  said  shortly;  "  we 
must  fight  it  out  here.  It  is  lucky  we  have  a  fair 
stock  of  ammunition,  and  can  keep  it  up  for  some 
hours  yet.  You  see,  the  sailors  have  not  had  to  use 
their  pistols  yet,  and  they  will  astonish  those  fellows 
if  they  do  manage  to  scale  the  sand-bags." 

For  another  half-hour  the  fighting  continued. 
Again  and  again  the  Malays  fell  back,  but  only  to 
return  to  the  attack  with  fresh  fury,  and  the  defend 
ers  had  been  obliged  to  betake  themselves  more  than 
once  to  their  pistols.  The  two  heavy  guns  were  now 
removed  from  their  position  to  the  sides,  for  the  at 
tack  by  boats  had  ceased  entirely,  and  the  destruc 
tion  of  the  prahus  was  of  less  importance  than  the 
defense  of  the  little  fort  from  the  attacks  on  its 
flanks.  The  operation  began  just  as  the  Malays 
made  one  of  their  retreats,  and  by  the  time  they  re 
turned,  the  guns  were  placed  in  their  new  position, 
their  muzzles  peeping  out  from  among  the  sand 
bags,  while  the  embrasures  on  the  water-face  had 
been  closed  by  bags  taken  from  the  upper  line.  The 
effect  of  the  fire  at  such  close  quarters  was  to  drive 
the  Malays  flying  into  the  forest.  Shortly  after 
wards  the  sound  of  chopping  was  heard. 

"  The  beggars  are  trying  to  cut  a  path  through  the 
jungle  to  our  rear,  Dick,"  Harry  Parkhurst  said. 

"  Obstinate  brutes !  But  I  don't  think  much  of 
that,  Harry :  they  will  get  on  well  enough  until  they 
arrive  within  twenty  or  thirty  yards  of  us,  when  we 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  99 

can  pepper  them  so  hotly  that  they  will  soon  get  sick 
of  it." 

At  this  moment  there  was  the  report  of  a  heavy 
gun,  and  a  shell  crashed  through  the  forest  fifty 
yards  in  the  rear  of  the  fort.  Loud  yells  of  rage  and 
alarm  rose  from  the  Malays,  while  a  hearty  cheer 
broke  from  the  defenders  of  the  fort.  Closely  fol 
lowing,  came  the  sound  of  another  gun,  and  then  a 
rain  of  grape,  some  of  which  whistled  over  the  fort. 

"  Keep  yourselves  well  down  behind  the  sand 
bags,  men,"  Lieutenant  Ferguson  shouted;  "  the 
captain  knows  that  we  have  shelter,  and  will  sweep 
the  Malays  out  of  the  forest  round  us.  That  shot 
must  have  done  great  execution  among  the  Malays 
on  the  path  between  us  and  the  boats." 

The  guns  of  the  ship  kept  up  a  heavy  fire,  search 
ing  the  wood  for  some  distance  round  with  shell,  and 
pouring  volleys  of  grape  into  the  trees  near  the  bat 
tery.  Presently  the  fire  ceased. 

"  I  fancy  they  have  all  bolted,  Dick,"  his  comrade 
said ;  "  after  the  first  five  minutes  we  have  not 
heard  «a  sound.  I  wonder  what  the  prahus  are 
doing?" 

A  minute  later  the  lieutenant  said,  "  Mr.  Morri 
son,  take  a  dozen  men  and  make  your  way  along  the 
path  until  you  get  to  the  boats.  I  hope  they  have 
escaped.  If  they  are  within  hail  go  on  board,  and 
report  to  the  captain  that  we  have  sunk  two  of 
the  prahus,  and  that  for  the  present  the  Malays  who 


too  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

have  been  attacking  us  have  made  off.  Say  that 
large  numbers  of  them  have  gone  on  board  the  four 
prahus,  and  that  I  am  about  to  open  fire  upon  them 
again." 

As  soon  as  the  mate  had  left,  parties  of  men  were 
set  to  work  to  shift  the  guns  to  their  old  positions, 
and  fire  was  again  opened  upon  the  piratical  prahus, 
who  replied,  as  before,  with  their  little  guns.  A 
very  few  minutes  later  a  shell  flew  overhead,  and 
fell  in  the  water  near  where  the  craft  were  anchored. 
Another  and  another  followed  quickly.  Intense  ex 
citement  was  manifest  on  board  the  prahus,  and 
almost  immediately  their  cables  were  cut,  oars  got 
out,  and  at  a  great  rate  they  started  down  the 
creek. 

"  The  place  has  got  too  hot  for  them  altogether, 
Harry;  they  think  it  better  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  the 
ship's  guns  than  to  be  sunk  at  their  moorings." 

Scarcely  had  the  prahus  issued  from  the  pool, 
than  the  guns  of  the  ship  were  heard. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  some  of  them  will  get  away, 
Harry.  The  beggars  row  so  fast  that  there  won't 
be  time  to  give  them  more  than  one  broadside  as 
they  pass.  If  the  ship  is  aground,  which  is  likely 
enough,  for  the  captain  pushed  up  farther  than  we 
thought  possible,  they  will  be  pretty  safe  when  they 
have  once  got  past  her." 

Presently  the  guns  were  heard  to  fire  in  rapid  suc 
cession.  Loud  yells  and  cries  followed;  then  came 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  101 

shouts  of  triumph  and  defiance;  then  all  was  still, 
save  that  a  few  cannon  shot  were  discharged  at  regu 
lar  intervals. 

"  They  have  got  one  of  the  guns  round  to  fire  over 
the  stern,  Dick.  There,  it  has  stopped  now;  evi 
dently  the  prahus  have  got  round  the  next  corner. 
It  is  a  pity  that  any  of  them  should  have  escaped, 
and  they  would  not  have  done  so  if  the  Serpent  had 
remained  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek;  but  I  suppose 
the  captain  became  anxious  at  the  continuation  of 
the  heavy  firing  here,  and  so  came  up  to  our  help. 
It  is  lucky  he  did  so,  for,  though  we  might  have 
beaten  them  off,  they  were  in  such  tremendous  force 
that  I  fancy  it  would  have  gone  hard  with  us  in  the 
long  run." 

"  I  was  beginning  to  think  so  myself,  Harry." 

Dr.  Horsley  had  been  busy  enough  from  the  time 
that  the  fighting  began  in  earnest.  Ten  men  had 
been  killed  by  balls  that  had  passed  through  the  em 
brasures,  or  by  kris  or  lance  wounds,  and  twenty- 
eight  others  had  been  more  or  less  severely  wounded. 
A  quarter  of  an  hour  after  the  firing  ceased,  Captain 
Forrest  himself,  with  the  mate,  rowed  into  the  pool 
in  one  of  the  cutters,  and  landed  at  the  end  of  the 
path  close  to  the  battery. 

"  I  congratulate  you  on  your  success,  Mr.  Fergu 
son,"  he  said,  shaking  hands  with  the  first  lieuten 
ant  ;  "  it  has  been  a  very  hot  affair,  and  by  Mr.  Mor 
rison's  report  it  was  just  as  well  that  I  decided  to 


102  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

change  my  plan  and  come  up  to  your  aid,  though  it 
has  resulted  in  two  of  the  prahus  getting  away." 

"  Then  you  sank  two  of  them,  sir  ?  " 

"  Nc,  indeed,  we  only  sank  one;  the  third  went 
down  just  after  we  saw  her  come  out  from  the  pool. 
Certainly  we  had  not  hit  her,  so  that  the  honor  of 
accounting  for  three  out  of  six  of  the  craft  falls  to 
you  and  your  party.  Well,  Doctor,  what  is  your 
report?  I  am  afraid  it  is  a  bad  one." 

"  Serious,  indeed,"  he  went  on,  after  he  had  re 
ceived  the  figures.  "  Still  it  is  much  less  than  might 
have  been  expected  from  attacking  such  a  host  of 
pirates.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  none  of  the  officers 
are  dangerously  wounded." 

"  Parkhurst  had  his  forearm  laid  open  with  a  cut 
from  a  kris,  and  Balderson  had  one  of  their  spears 
through  his  ear.  Dr.  Horsley  said  if  it  had  been 
half  an  inch  more  to  the  left,  it  would  probably  have 
killed  him.  Lieutenant  Somers  of  the  marines  is 
more  badly  hurt,  a  spear  having  gone  through  the 
thigh.  It  cut  an  artery.  Luckily  the  doctor  was 
close  to  him  at  the  moment,  and  clapped  on  a  tour 
niquet,  and  then  cut  down  to  the  artery  and  tied  it. 
As  he  says,  '  A  delay  of  two  minutes,  and  it  would 
have  been  all  up  with  the  young  fellow.'  Are  the 
boats  safe,  sir  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  boat-keepers  pushed  off  a  little  way 
when  the  firing  began  in  the  forest,  and  when  they 
heard  the  shouts  of  a  large  party  of  the  enemy  com- 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  103 

ing  along  the  path,  they  went  out  almost  into  the 
middle  of  the  creek;  and  it  was  well  they  did,  for 
many  of  the  Malays  came  down  through  the  path 
you  cut,  and  would  have  riddled  them  with  their 
spears  had  they  been  within  reach.  The  boat-keepers 
acted  very  wisely;  all  of  them  got  into  the  gig  and 
towed  the  other  boats  astern,  so  that  if  the  Malays 
came  along,  either  in  their  prahus  or  in  their  boats, 
they  could  have  cut  them  adrift  and  made  a  race  of  it 
down  to  the  ship. 

"  Well,  I  think  that  there  is  nothing  more  to  be 
done  here.  The  men  may  as  well  have  a  tot  of  grog 
served  out,  and  then  the  sailors  can  march  down  to 
the  landing-place  and  bring  up  the  boats  and  take 
the  guns  and  what  ammunition  you  have  left,  on 
board.  Mr.  Morrison  will  go  back  with  me  to  the 
ship;  he  has  one  of  his  arms  broken  by  a  ball  from 
the  prahus." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  he  was  wounded,  sir;  he  did 
not  report  it.  I  should  not  have  sent  him  if  I  had 
known  it." 

"  It  is  just  as  well  as  it  is,  Ferguson;  it  will  give 
me  an  opportunity  of  specially  recommending  him 
for  promotion  in  my  report.  The  assistant-surgeon 
temporarily  bandaged  his  arm  when  he  reached  the 
ship." 

"Is  she  afloat,  sir?" 

"  No ;  I  want  you  back  as  soon  as  possible.  We 
shall  have  to  get  out  the  anchors  and  heave  on  them. 


104  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

We  put  on  a  full  head  of  steam  and  drove  her  two  or 
three  hundred  yards  through  the  mud  before  she 
finally  brought  up.  I  wanted  to  get  as  near  to  you 
as  possible,  in  order  to  clear  the  woods  round  you." 
By  two  o'clock  the  whole  ship's  company  were  on 
board  again,  and  set  to  work  to  get  her  off;  but  it 
was  not  until  after  some  hours'  exertion  that  the 
'Serpent  was  again  afloat.  She  was  at  once  turned 
round,  steamed  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  and 
cast  anchor  opposite  the  village. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  party  landed  at  the  village  the  next  morning, 
but  found  it  entirely  deserted. 

"  It  is  most  important  that  we  should  take  a  pris 
oner,  Ferguson,"  the  captain  said,  as  he  and  the  first 
lieutenant  paced  up  and  down  the  quarter-deck;  "  we 
must  catch  the  two  prahus  if  we  can.  At  present 
we  don't  know  whether  they  have  gone  up  or  down 
the  river,  and  it  would  be  absolutely  useless  for  us 
to  wait  until  we  get  some  clew  to  their  whereabouts. 
After  we  have  finished  with  them,  we  will  go  up  the 
other  branch,  and  try  to  find  the  two  we  know  to  be 
up  there.  I  should  not  like  to  leave  our  work  un 
finished." 

"  Certainly  not,  sir.  I  am  afraid,  though,  it  is  of 
no  use  landing  to  try  to  get  hold  of  a  prisoner.  No 
doubt  the  woods  are  full  of  them.  There  are  the 
townspeople  and  those  who  came  to  help  them;  and 
though  many  of  those  who  tried  to  swim  ashore  from 
the  sunken  boats  may  have  been  taken  by  the  alli 
gators,  still  the  greater  portion  must  have  landed 
all  right." 

"  I  should  thinK,  Mr.  Ferguson,  that  it  would  be 
a  good  plan  to  send  a  party  of  twenty  men  on  shore 
after  nightfall  and  to  distribute  them,  two  men  to  a 

sos 


106  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

hut.  Possibly  two  or  three  of  the  Malays  may  come 
down  to  the  village  before  morning,  either  to  fetch 
valuables  they  may  have  left  behind,  or  to  see 
whether  we  are  still  here.  They  may  come  to-night, 
or  they  may  come  some  time  to-morrow,  crawling 
through  the  plantations  behind  the  houses.  At  any 
rate,  I  will  wait  here  a  day  or  two  on  the  chance." 
"  Whom  shall  I  send  with  the  men,  sir?  " 
"You  had  better  send  Parkhurst  and  Balderson; 
they  will  have  more  authority  among  the  men  than 
the  younger  midshipmen.  The  men  had  better  take 
three  days'  cooked  provisions  on  shore  and  ten  small 
kegs  of  water,  one  for  each  hut.  I  will  give  Park- 
hurst  his  instructions  before  he  lands." 

"  Now,  Mr.  Parkhurst,"  he  said,  when  the  boat 
was  lowered  soon  after  dark,  "  you  must  bear  in 
mind  that  the  greatest  vigilance  will  be  necessary. 
Choose  ten  huts  close  together.  One  man  in  each 
hut  must  be  always  awake;  there  must  be  no  talking 
above  a  whisper;  and  during  the  daytime  no  one 
must  leave  his  hut  on  any  account  whatever.  After 
nightfall  you  and  Mr.  Balderson  will  move  from  hut 
to  hut,  to  see  that  a  vigilant  watch  is  kept.  You 
must,  of  course,  take  watch  and  watch,  night  and 
day.  You  must  remember  that  not  only  is  it  most 
important  that  a  native  should  be  captured,  but  you 
must  be  on  your  guard  against  an  attack  on  your 
selves.  It  is  quite  conceivable  that  a  party  may 
come  down  to  see  if  there  are  any  of  us  in  the  village. 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  107 

In  case  of  attack,  you  must  gather  in  one  hut,  and 
fire  three  shots  as  a  signal  to  us ;  a  musket  shot  will 
be  fired  in  return.  When  you  hear  it,  every  man 
must  throw  himself  down,  for  the  guns  will  be  al 
ready  loaded  with  grape,  and  I  shall  fire  a  broadside 
towards  the  spot  where  I  have  heard  your  signal. 

"  As  soon  as  the  broadside  is  fired,  make  down  to 
the  shore,  occupy  a  house  close  to  the  water,  and 
keep  the  Malays  off  till  the  boats  come  ashore  to 
fetch  you  off.  Your  crew  has  been  very  carefully 
picked.  I  have  consulted  the  warrant  officers,  and 
they  have  selected  the  most  taciturn  men  in  the  ship. 
There  is  to  be  no  smoking;  of  course  the  men  can 
chew  as  much  as  they  like;  but  the  smell  of  tobacco- 
smoke  would  at  once  deter  any  native  from  entering 
a  hut.  If  a  Malay  should  come  in  and  try  to  escape, 
he  must  be  fired  on  as  he  runs  away;  but  the  men 
are  to  aim  at  his  legs." 

The  Instructions  were  carried  out.  A  small  hole 
was  bored  in  the  back  of  each  of  the  huts,  so  that  a 
constant  watch  could  be  kept  up  unseen  by  the  closest 
observer  in  the  forest,  a  hundred  yards  behind. 
The  night  passed  off  quietly,  as  did  the  next  day. 
The  men  slept  and  watched  by  turns.  On  the  after 
noon  of  the  second  day,  a  native  was  seen  moving 
cautiously  from  tree  to  tree  along  the  edge  of  the 
forest.  As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  Dick,  whose  watch 
it  was,  crawled  cautiously  from  hut  to  hut. 

"  That  fellow  we  saw  to-day  may  come  at  any 


lo8  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

moment,"  he  said.  "  If  one  of  you  see  him  coming, 
the  other  must  place  himself  close  to  the  door,  and 
if  he  enters,  throw  himself  upon  him  and  hold  his 
arms  tightly  till  the  others  come  up  to  help.  Keep 
your  rope  handy  to  twist  round  him,  and  remember 
these  fellows  are  as  slippery  as  eels." 

Having  made  the  round,  he  returned  to  the  hut  in 
the  center  of  the  others  that  he  and  Harry  occupied. 
Half  an  hour  later,  they  heard  a  sudden  outcry  from 
the  hut  next  to  them,  and  rushing  in,  found  the  two 
men  there  struggling  with  a  Malay.  With  their  aid 
he  was  speedily  bound;  then  the  men  were  called 
from  the  other  huts,  and  the  whole  party  ran  down 
to  the  water's  edge,  where  Harry  hailed  the  ship. 
A  boat  put  off  at  once,  and  they  were  taken  on 
board.  The  prisoner  was  led  to  the  captain's  cabin, 
and  there  examined  through  the  medium  of  the  in 
terpreter.  He  refused  to  answer  any  questions 
until,  by  the  captain's  orders,  he  was  taken  on  deck 
again  and  a  noose  placed  round  his  neck,  and  the 
interpreter  told  him  that,  unless  he  spoke,  he  was  to 
be  hauled  up  to  the  yard's  arm.  The  man  was  still 
silent. 

"  Tighten  the  strain  very  gradually,"  the  captain 
said  to  the  sailors  holding  the  other  end  of  the  rope. 
"  Raise  him  two  or  three  feet  above  the  deck,  and 
then,  when  the  doctor  holds  up  his  hand,  lower  him 
at  once  again." 

This  was  done.    The  man,  though  half  strangled, 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  109 

was  still  conscious,  and  on  the  noose  being  loosened, 
and  Soh  Hay  saying  that,  unless  he  spoke,  he  would 
be  again  run  up,  he  said,  as  soon  as  he  got  his  breath, 
that  he  would  answer  any  question.  On  being  taken 
to  the  cabin,  he  said  that  the  prahus  had  gone  down 
the  river,  and  had  ascended  the  other  arm.  They 
had  only  gone  a  few  miles  above  the  town,  for  one 
had  been  so  injured  that  there  had  been  difficulty  in 
keeping  her  afloat,  and  it  was  necessary  to  run  her 
into  a  creek  in  order  to  repair  her  before  going  up 
farther. 

Half  an  hour  later  steam  was  up,  and  before 
morning  the  Serpent  lay  off  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
which  the  Malay  pointed  out  as  the  one  that  the 
prahu  had  entered.  The  second  officer  was  this  time 
placed  in  command  of  the  boats,  he  himself  going  in 
the  launch,  the  third  officer  took  the  first  cutter,  the 
two  midshipmen  the  second.  No  time  was  lost  in 
making  preparations,  for  it  was  desirable  to  capture 
the  prahu  before  she  was  aware  that  the  Serpent  had 
left  her  position  in  the  other  river.  For  a  mile  the 
boats  rowed  up  the  creek,  which  narrowed  until  they 
were  obliged  to  go  in  single  file.  It  widened  sud 
denly,  and  as  the  launch  dashed  through,  a  shower 
of  balls  tore  up  the  water  round  her;  while  at  the 
same  moment  a  great  tree  fell  across  the  creek,  com 
pletely  barring  their  retreat,  and  narrowly  shaving 
the  stern  of  the  midshipmen's  boat,  which  was  the 
last  in  the  line.  Fortunately  the  launch  had  escaped 


HO  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

serious  injury,  and  with  a  shout  of  "  Treachery,** 
Lieutenant  Hopkins  drew  his  pistol  to  put  a  ball 
through  the  head  of  their  guide,  but  as  he  did  so,  the 
man  sprang  overboard  and  dived  towards  the 
shore. 

"  Row,  men;  we  have  all  our  work  cut  out  for  us. 
There  are  three  prahus  ahead;  steer  for  the  center 
one,  coxswain." 

With  a  cheer  the  men  bent  to  their  oars,  and 
dashed  at  the  prahu  which,  as  was  evident  by  patches 
of  plank  freshly  fastened  to  her  side,  was  one  of 
those  that  had  before  escaped  them. 

"  Follow  me,"  the  lieutenant  shouted  to  the  boat 
behind;  "  we  must  take  them  one  by  one."  The 
three  boats  dashed  at  the  pirate  craft,  which  was 
crowded  with  men,  regardless  of  the  fire  from  the 
other  two  vessels.  The  launch  steered  for  her  stern, 
the  first  cutter  for  her  bow,  while  the  midshipmen 
swept  round  her,  and  boarded  her  on  the  opposite 
side.  A  furious  contest  took  place  on  her  deck,  the 
Malays  being  so  confused  by  being  assailed  at  three 
points  simultaneously  that  the  midshipmen's  party 
were  enabled  to  gain  a  footing  with  but  very  slight 
resistance.  The  shouts  of  the  Malays  near  them 
brought  many  running  from  the  other  points,  and 
the  parties  there  gained  a  footing  with  comparatively 
little  loss.  Then  a  desperate  struggle  began;  but 
the  Malays  were  unable  to  withstand  the  furious  at 
tack  of  the  British,  and  ere  long  began  to  leap  over- 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  in 

board  and  swim  to  the  other  craft,  which  were  both 
coming  to  their  aid. 

The  launch's  gun  had  not  been  fired,  and,  calling 
to  Dick,  Harry  leaped  down  into  the  boat.  The  two 
midshipmen  trained  the  gun  upon  the  nearest  prahu, 
and  aiming  at  the  water-line,  fired  it  when  the  craft 
was  within  twenty  feet  of  them.  A  moment  later 
its  impetus  brought  it  against  the  side  of  the  launch, 
which  was  crushed  like  an  eggshell  between  it  and 
the  captured  prahu,  the  two  midshipmen  springing 
on  board  just  in  time.  It  was  the  Malays'  turn  to 
board  now,  that  of  the  British  to  prevent  them;  the 
musketry  of  the  sailors  and  marines  for  a  time  kept 
the  enemy  off,  but  they  strove  desperately  to  gain  a 
footing  on  board,  until  a  loud  cry  was  heard,  and 
the  craft  into  which  the  midshipmen  had  fired  sank 
suddenly,  and  a  loud  cheer  broke  from  the  British. 

The  two  midshipmen  were  engaged  with  the  other 
pirate,  from  whom  a  cry  of  dismay  arose  at  seeing 
the  disappearance  of  their  friends. 

"  Now,  lads,  follow  me,"  Harry  shouted  as  the 
Malays  strove  to  push  their  craft  away.  Followed 
by  a  dozen  sailors,  they  leaped  on  to  her  deck ;  but  the 
efforts  of  the  Malays  succeeded  in  thrusting  the  ves 
sels  apart.  In  vain  the  midshipmen  and  their  fol 
lowers  fought  desperately.  Harry  was  felled  by  a 
blow  with  a  war-club,  Dick  cut  down  with  a  kris; 
half  the  seamen  were  killed,  the  others  jumped  over 
board  and  swam  back  to  their  vessel.  Lieutenant 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

Hopkins  shouted  to  the  men  to  take  to  the  boats,  and 
the  two  cutters  were  speedily  manned.  One,  how 
ever,  was  in  a  sinking  condition;  but  Lieutenant 
Hopkins  with  the  other  started  in  pursuit  of  the 
prahu,  whose  crew  had  already  got  their  oars  out, 
and  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  sailors,  soon  left 
them  behind.  Pursuit  was  evidently  hopeless,  and 
reluctantly  the  lieutenant  ordered  the  men  to  row 
back.  On  returning  to  the  scene  of  combat,  they 
saw  sunk  near  the  bank  the  fourth  of  the  prahus. 
"  The  spy  was  so  far  right,"  the  second  lieutenant 
muttered — "this  fellow  did  sink;  now  we  must  see 
that  she  does  no  more  mischief."  He  brought  the 
captured  prahu  alongside  the  others,  whose  decks 
were  but  a  foot  or  two  below  the  water,  and  fired 
several  shots  through  their  bottoms.  Then  he  set 
the  captured  craft  on  fire  and  took  to  the  boats,  which 
with  great  difficulty  forced  their  way  under  the  fallen 
tree  and  rowed  back  to  the  ship. 

The  third  lieutenant  had  been  shot  dead,  twelve 
men  had  been  killed,  ten  of  the  midshipmen's  party 
were  missing,  and  of  the  rest  but  few  had  escaped 
without  wounds  more  or  less  serious. 

Harry  was  the  first  to  recover  his  senses,  being 
roughly  brought  to  by  a  bucket  of  water  being 
dashed  over  him.  He  looked  round  the  deck.  Of 
those  who  had  sprung  on  board  with  him,  none  were 
visible  save  Dick  Balderson,  who  was  lying  near 
him,  with  a  cloth  tightly  bound  round  his  shoulder. 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  113 

As  he  rose  into  a  sitting  position  a  murmur  of  satis 
faction  broke  from  some  Malays  standing  near.  It 
was  some  time  before  he  could  rally  his  senses. 

"  I  suppose/'  he  thought  at  last,  "  they  are  either 
keeping  us  for  torture  or  as  hostages.  The  rajah 
may  have  given  orders  that  any  officers  captured 
were  to  be  spared  and  brought  to  him.  I  don't 
know  what  his  expectations  are,"  he  muttered  to 
himself;  "  but  if  he  expects  to  be  reinstated  as  rajah, 
and  perhaps  compensated  for  the  loss  of  his  palace, 
he  is  likely  to  be  mistaken;  and  in  that  case  it  will  go 
mighty  hard  with  us,  for  there  is  no  shadow  of  doubt 
that  he  is  a  savage  and  cruel  brute." 

He  had  now  shaken  off  the  numbness  caused  by 
the  blow  that  he  had  received,  and  he  managed  to 
stagger  to  where  Dick  was  lying,  and  knelt  beside 
him  and  begged  the  Malays  to  bring  water.  They 
had  evidently  received  orders  to  do  all  they  could  to 
revive  the  two  young  officers,  and  one  at  once 
brought  half  a  gourd  full.  Harry  had  already 
assured  himself  that  his  friend's  heart  still  beat.  He 
began  by  pouring  some  water  between  his  lips.  It 
was  not  necessary  to  pour  any  over  his  head,  for  he 
had  already  received  the  same  treatment  as  him 
self. 

"  Dick,  old  chap,"  he  said  sharply  and  earnestly. 
The  sound  was  evidently  heard  and  understood,  for 
Dick  started  slightly,  opened  his  eyes  and  murmured, 
"  It's  not  time  to  turn  out  yet?  " 


U4  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

"  You  are  not  in  your  hammock,  Dick;  you  have 
been  wounded,  and  we  are  both  prisoners  in  the 
hands  of  these  Malays.  Try  and  pull  yourself  to 
gether,  but  don't  move;  they  have  put  a  sort  of 
bandage  round  your  shoulder,  and  I  am  going  to 
try  and  improve  it." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  my  shoulder?"  Dick 
murmured. 

"  Chopped  with  a  kris,  old  man.  Now  I  am 
going  to  turn  you  on  your  side,  and  then  cut  the 
sleeve  off  the  jacket.  Take  another  drink  of  water; 
then  we  will  set  about  it." 

Dick  did  as  he  was  ordered,  and  was  evidently 
coming  back  to  consciousness,  for  he  looked  round, 
and  then  said,  "  Where  are  the  other  fellows  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  has  become  of  them.  I  think 
I  went  down  before  you  did.  However,  here  we 
are  alone.  Now  I  am  going  to  begin." 

He  cut  off  the  sleeve  of  the  jacket  and  shirt  at  the 
shoulder,  ripped  open  the  seam  to  the  neck,  first  tak 
ing  off  the  rough  bandage. 

"  It's  a  nasty  cut,  old  man,"  he  said,  "  but  nothing 
dangerous,  I  should  say.  I  fancy  it  has  gone  clean 
through  the  shoulder  bone,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  it  will  knit  again,  as  Hassan's  did,  if  they  do 
but  give  you  time." 

He  rolled  the  shirt-sleeve  into  a  pad,  saturated  it 
with  water,  and  laid  it  on  the  wound. 

"You  see  I  know  all  about  it,  Dick,"  he  said 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  115 

cheerily,  "  from  having  watched  the  doctor  at  work 
on  Hassan.     Now  I  will  tear  this  cloth  into  strips." 

He  first  placed  a  strip  of  the  cloth  over  the  shoul 
der,  crossed  it  under  the  arm,  and  then  took  the  ends 
of  the  bandage  across  the  chest  and  back,  and  tied 
them  under  his  other  arm.  He  repeated  this  process 
with  half  a  dozen  other  strips ;  then  he  placed  Dick's 
hand  upon  his  chest,  tied  some  of  the  other  strips  to 
gether,  and  bound  them  tightly  round  the  arm  and 
body,  so  that  no  movement  of  the  limb  was  possible. 
One  of  the  Malays  knelt  down  and  gave  him  his 
assistance,  and  nodded  approvingly  when  he  had 
finished;  then  he  helped  Harry  raise  him  into  a  sit 
ting  position  against  the  bulwark. 

"  That  is  better,"  Dick  said,  "  as  far  as  it  goes. 
How  was  it  these  fellows  did  not  kill  us  at  once?  " 

"  I  expect  the  rajah  has  ordered  that  all  officers 
who  may  fall  into  their  hands  are  to  be  kept  as  host 
ages,  so  that  he  can  open  negotiations  with  the 
skipper.  If  he  gets  what  he  wants,  he  hands  us 
back;  if  not,  there  is  no  manner  of  doubt  that  he  will 
put  us  out  of  the  way  without  compunction." 

The  men  were  still  working  at  the  oars,  and  for 
four  hours  rowed  without  intermission  through  a 
labyrinth  of  creeks.  At  last  they  stopped  before  a 
small  village,  tied  the  prahu  up  to  a  tree,  and  then 
the  man  who  seemed  to  be  the  captain  went  ashore 
with  two  or  three  others.  The  lads  heard  a  loud 
outburst  of  anger,  and  a  voice  which  they  recognized 


ii6  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

as  that  of  the  rajah  storming  and  ragmg  for  some 
time;  then  the  hubbub  ceased.  An  hour  later  the 
rajah  himself  came  on  board  with  two  or  three  at 
tendants,  and  a  man  whom  they  recognized  as  speak 
ing  a  certain  amount  of  English.  The  rajah  scowled 
at  them,  and  from  the  manner  in  which  he  kept  fin 
gering  his  kris  they  saw  that  it  needed  a  great  effort 
on  his  part  to  abstain  from  killing  them  at  once. 
He  spoke  for  some  time  in  his  own  language,  and 
the  interpreter  translated  it. 

;<  You  are  dogs — you  and  all  your  countrymen. 
The  rajah  is  sending  a  message  to  your  captain  to 
tell  him  that  he  must  build  up  his  palace  again,  pay 
him  for  the  war-ships  that  he  has  destroyed,  and 
provide  him  with  a  guard  against  his  enemies  until 
a  fresh  fleet  has  been  built.  If  he  refuses  to  do  this, 
you  will  both  be  killed." 

"  Tell  him,"  Harry  said,  "  that  if  we  are  dogs, 
anyhow  we  have  shown  him  that  we  can  bite.  As 
to  what  he  says,  it  is  for  the  captain  to  answer;  but 
I  do  not  think  that  he  will  grant  the  terms,  though 
possibly  he  may  consent  to  spare  the  rajah's  life,  and 
to  go  away  with  his  ship,  if  we  are  sent  back  to  him 
without  injury." 

The  rajah  uttered  a  scornful  exdamation.  "  I 
have  six  thousand  men,"  he  said,  "  and  I  do  not  heed 
to  beg  my  life;  for  were  there  twenty  ships  instead 
of  one  they  could  never  find  me,  and  not  a  man  who 
landed  and  tried  to  come  through  the  country  would 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  117 

return  alive.  I  have  given  your  captain  the  chance. 
If,  at  the  end  of  three  days,  an  answer  does  not  come 
granting  my  command,  you  will  be  krised.  Keep  a 
strict  watch  upon  them,  Captain,  and  kill  them  at 
once  if  they  try  to  escape." 

"  I  will  guard  them  safely,  Rajah,"  the  captain, 
who,  from  the  rich  materials  of  his  sarong  and 
jacket,  was  evidently  himself  a  chief,  said  quietly; 
"but  as  to  escape,  where  could  they  go?  They 
could  but  wander  in  the  jungle  until  they  died." 

By  night  both  lads  felt  more  themselves.  They 
had  been  well  supplied  with  food,  and  though 
Harry's  head  ached  until,  as  he  said,  it  was  splitting 
and  Dick's  wound  smarted  severely,  they  were  able 
to  discuss  their  position.  They  at  once  agreed  that 
escape  was  impossible,  and  would  be  even  were  they 
well  and  strong  and  could  manage  to  obtain  posses 
sion  of  a  sampan,  for  they  would  but  lose  themselves 
in  the  labyrinth  of  creeks,  and  would,  moreover,  be 
certain  to  be  overtaken  by  the  native  boats  that 
would  be  sent  off  in  all  directions  after  them. 

"  There  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait  for  the  cap 
tain's  answer,"  Dick  said  at  last. 

"  We  know  what  that  will  be,"  Harry  said.  "  He 
will  tell  the  chief  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him 
to  grant  his  commands,  but  that  he  is  ready  to  pay  a 
certain  sum  for  our  release;  that  if  harm  comes  to  us, 
he  will  make  peace  with  the  chiefs  who  have  assisted 
Sehi  against  us,  on  condition  of  their  hunting  him 


Ii8  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

down  and  sending  him  alive  or  dead  to  the  ships 
But  the  rascal  knows  that  he  could  hide  himself  in 
these  swamps  for  a  month,  and  he  will  proceed  to 
chop  off  our  heads  without  a  moment's  delay.  We 
must  keep  our  eyes  open  to-morrow,  and  endeavor 
to  get  hold  of  a  couple  of  weapons.  It  is  a  deal  bet 
ter  to  die  fighting*than  it  is  to  have  our  throats  cut 
like  sheep." 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  next  two  days  passed  quietly.  The  lads 
were  both  a  great  deal  better,  and  agreed  that  if — 
which  would  almost  certainly  not  be  the  case — a 
means  of  escape  should  present  itself,  they  would 
seize  the  chance,  however  hopeless  it  might  be,  for 
that  at  worst  they  could  but  be  cut  down  in  attempt 
ing  it.  No  chance,  however,  presented  itself.  Two 
Malays  always  squatted  hear  them,  and  their  eyes 
followed  every  movement. 

"  Some  time  to-morrow  the  messenger  will  re 
turn,"  Harry  said.  "  It  is  clear  to  me  that  our 
only  chance  is  to  escape  before  morning.  Those 
fellows  will  be  watchful  till  the  night  is  nearly  over. 
Now,  I  propose  that,  just  before  the  first  gleam  of 
daylight,  we  throw  ourselves  upon  them  suddenly, 
seize  their  krises,  and  cut  them  down,  then  leap 
on  shore,  and  dash  into  the  jungle.  The  night  will 
be  as  dark  as  pitch,  what  with  there  being  no  moon 
and  with  the  mist  from  the  swamps.  At  any  rate, 
we  might  get  out  of  sight  before  the  Malays  knew 
what  had  happened.  We  could  either  go  straight 
into  the  jungle  and  crawl  into  the  thick  busnes,  and 
lie  there  until  morning,  and  then  make  our  start,  or, 
what  would,  I  think,  be  even  better,  ta£e  to  the 

Of 


iao  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

water,  wade  along  under  the  bank  till  we  reach  one 
of  those  sampans  fifty  yards  away,  get  in,  and 
manage  to  paddle  it  noiselessly  across  to  the  opposite 
side,  lift  the  craft  out  of  the  water,  and  hide  it  among 
the  bushes,  and  then  be  off." 

'  The  worst  of  it  is  the  alligators,  Harry." 
"  Yes,  but  we  must  risk  that.  We  shall  have  the 
krises,  and  if  they  seize  either  of  us,  the  other  must 
go  down  and  try  and  job  his  kris  into  the  beast's 
eyes.  I  know  it  is  a  frightfully  dangerous  business, 
and  the  chances  are  one  hundred  to  one  against  our 
succeeding;  but  there  is  just  a  chance,  and  there  is 
no  chance  at  all  if  we  leave  it  until  to-morrow.  Of 
course,  if  we  succeed  in  getting  over  to  the  other 
side,  we  must  wait  close  to  the  water  until  daylight. 
We  should  tear  ourselves  to  pieces  if  we  tried  to 
make  through  the  jungle  in  the  dark." 

"  I  tell  you  what  would  give  us  a  better  chance — 
we  might  take  off  two  or  three  yards  of  that  bandage 
of  yours,  cut  the  strip  in  half,  and  twist  it  into  a 
rope;  then  when  those  fellows  doze  off  a  little,  we 
might  throw  the  things  round  their  necks,  and  it 
•would  be  all  up  with  them." 

"  But  you  see  I  have  only  one  arm,  Harry." 
"  Bother  it !     I  never  thought  of  that.     Well,  I 
wight  do  the  securing,  one  fellow  first,  and  then  the 
ether.     You  could  get  close  to  him,  and  if  he  moves, 
«%tch  up  his  kris  and  cut  him  down." 

"Yes,  I  could  do  that     Well,  anyhow,  Harry, 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  121 

we  can  but  try;  anything  is  better  than  waiting  here 
hour  after  hour  for  the  messenger  to  come  back 
with  what  will  be  our  death-warrant." 

They  agreed  to  keep  awake  oy  turns,  and  accord 
ingly  lay  down  as  soon  as  it  became  dark,  the  Ma 
lays,  as  usual,  squatting  at  a  distance  of  a  couple  of 
paces  each  side  of  them.  It  was  about  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning  when  Dick,  who  was  awake,  saw,  as 
he  supposed,  one  of  the  crew  standing  up  a  few  yards 
away;  he  was  not  sure,  for  just  at  that  moment  the 
figure  disappeared. 

"  What  on  earth  could  that  fellow  want  to  stand 
up  for  and  lie  down  again?  for  I  can  swear  he  was 
not  there  half  a  minute  ago.  There  is  another 
farther  on."  He  pinched  himself  to  make  sure  that 
he  was  awake.  Figure  after  figure  seemed  to  flit 
along  the  deck  and  disappear.  One  of  the  guard 
rose  and  stretched  his  arms;  put  a  fresh  bit  of  some 
herb  that  he  was  chewing  into  his  mouth;  moved 
close  to  the  prisoners  to  see  if  they  were  asleep ;  and 
then  resumed  his  former  position.  During  +.he  time 
that  he  was  on  his  feet,  Dick  noticed  that  the  phe 
nomenon  which  had  so  puzzled  him  ceased.  A 
quarter  of  an  hour  later  it  began  again.  He  touched 
Harry,  keeping  his  hand  on  his  lips  as  a  warning  to 
be  silent.  Suddenly  a  wild  yell  broke  on  the  still 
air,  and  in  an  instant  the  deck  was  alive  with  men; 
and  as  the  two  Malay  watchers  rose  to  their  feet, 
both  were  cut  down. 


122  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

There  were  sounds  of  heavy  blows,  screams  and 
yells,  a  short  and  confused  struggle,  and  the  fall  of 
heavy  bodies,  while  from  the  little  village  there  were 
also  sounds  of  conflict.  The  midshipmen  had 
started  to  their  feet,  half  bewildered  at  the  sudden 
and  desperate  struggle,  when  a  hand  was  laid  on 
each  of  their  shoulders,  and  a  voice  said,  "  English 
friends,  Hassan  has  come." 

The  revulsion  of  feeling  was  so  great  that,  for  a 
minute,  neither  could  speak;  then  Dick  said,  "  Chief, 
we  thank  you  with  all  our  hearts.  To-morrow  we 
should  have  been  killed." 

The  chief  shook  hands  with  them  both  warmly, 
having  seen  that  mode  of  salutation  on  board  ship. 

"  Hassan  glad,"  he  'said.  "  Hassan  watch  all 
time;  no  let  Sehi  kill  friends.  Friends  save  Has 
san's  child;  he  save  them." 

Torches  were  now  lighted.  The  deck  was  thickly 
encumbered  with  dead;  for  every  one  of  the  crew  of 
the  prahu  had  been  killed.  "  Sehi  killed  too,"  the 
chief  said,  "  come  and  see."  He  swung  himself  on 
shore;  the  boys  followed  his  example,  two  of  the  Ma 
lays  helping  Dick  down.  They  went  to  the  village, 
where  a  number  of  Malays  were  moving  about; 
torches  had  been  brought  from  the  ship,  and  a  score 
of  these  soon  lit  up  the  scene.  Two  of  the  rajah's 
men  had  been  killed  outside  their  huts,  but  the  ma 
jority  had  fallen  inside.  The  chief  asked  a  ques 
tion  of  one  of  his  followers,  who  pointed  to  a  hut 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  123 

This  they  entered,  and  by  the  light  of  the  torches 
saw  the  rajah  lying  dead  upon  the  ground.  Hassan 
said  something  to  one  of  his  men,  who,  with  a  single 
blow,  chopped  off  the  rajah's  head. 

"  Send  to  chiefs,"  Hassan  said.  "  If  not  see,  not 
think  dead.  Much  afraid  of  him.  When  know  he 
dead,  not  fight  any  more;  make  peace  quick." 

One  of  the  men  asked  a  question,  and  the  lads' 
limited  knowledge  of  the  language  was  sufficient  to 
tell  them  that  he  was  asking  whether  they  should 
fire  the  village.  Hassan  shook  his  head.  "  Many 
men,"  he  said,  waving  his  arm  to  the  forest,  "  see 
fire;  come  fight.  Plenty  of  fight  been;  no  need  for 
more."  For  a  time  he  stood  with  them  in  front  of 
the  pool.  A  series  of  splashes  in  the  water  told  what 
was  going  on.  The  prahu  was  being  cleared  of  its 
load  of  dead  bodies;  then  several  men  filled  buckets 
with  water,  and  handed  them  up  to  the  deck.  The 
boys  knew  that  an  attempt  was  being  made  to  wash 
away  the  blood.  The  process  was  repeated  a  dozen 
times.  While  this  was  going  on,  the  pool  was  agi 
tated  in  every  direction.  The  lads  shuddered  as 
they  looked,  and  remembered  that  they  had  proposed 
to  wade  along  the  edge.  The  place  swarmed  with 
alligators,  who  scrambled  and  fought  for  the  bodie 
thrown  over,  until  the  number  was  so  great  that  all 
were  satisfied,  and  the  pool  became  comparatively 
quiet,  although  fresh  monsters,  guided  by  the  smell 
of  blood,  kept  arriving  on  the  scene. 


124  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

At  last  the  chief  said,  "  Come,"  and  together  they 
returned  to  the  prahu.  The  morning  was  now 
breaking,  and  but  few  signs  remained  of  the  terrible 
conflict  of  the  night.  At  the  chief's  order,  a  large 
basket  of  wine,  that  had  been  found  in  the  rajah's 
hut,  was  brought  on  board,  together  with  another, 
full  of  bananas  and  other  fruit. 

"  Well,"  Harry  said,  laughing,  "  we  little  thought, 
when  we  saw  the  champagne  handed  over  to  the 
rajah,  that  we  were  going  to  have  the  serving  of  it." 

Hassan  joined  them  at  the  meal.  He  had  been 
given  wine  regularly  by  the  doctor,  and  although  he 
had  evinced  no  partiality  for  it,  but  had  taken  it 
simply  at  the  doctor's  orders,  he  now  drank  a  little 
to  keep  the  others  company.  In  a  short  time  the 
whole  of  the  chief's  followers  were  gathered  on  deck, 
and  the  boys  saw  that  they  were  no  more  numerous 
than  the  prahu's  crew,  and  that  it  was  only  the  ad 
vantage  of  surprise  that  had  enabled  them  to  over 
come  so  easily  both  those  on  board  the  prahu  and  the 
rajah's  followers  in  the  village.  The  oars  were  got 
out,  and  the  prahu  proceeded  up  the  creek,  in  the 
opposite  direction  to  which  it  had  entered  it. 

"  Going  to  ship  ?  "  Harry  asked,  pointing  forward. 

Hassan  shook  his  head.  "  Going  home,"  he  said. 
"  Sent  messenger  sampan  tell  captain  both  safe, 
Sehi  killed,  prahu  taken.  Must  go  home.  Others 
angry  because  Hassan  not  join  may  come  and  fight 
Hassan  ask  captain  bring  ship  up  river;  messenger 


AMONG  MALAY  MKA'IES.  125 

show  channel,  tell  how  far  can  go,  then  come  in 
boats,  hold  great  meeting,  make  peace." 

The  lads  were  well  satisfied.  They  had  a  long 
ing  to  see  Hassan's  home,  and,  perhaps,  to  do  some 
shooting;  and  they  thought  that  a  few  days'  holiday 
before  rejoining  would  be  by  no  means  unpleasant. 
They  wished,  however,  that  they  had  known  that  the 
sampan  was  leaving,  so  that  they  could  have  written 
a  line  to  the  captain,  saying  what  had  taken  place, 
and  that  they  could  not  rejoin.  There  was  at  first 
some  splashing  of  the  oars,  for  many  of  Hassan's 
men  had  had  no  prior  experience  except  with  sam 
pans  and  large  canoes.  However,  it  was  not  long 
before  they  fell  into  the  swing,  and  the  boat  pro 
ceeded  at  a  rapid  pace.  Several  times,  as  they  went, 
natives  appeared  on  the  bank  in  considerable  num 
bers,  and  receiving  no  answer  to  their  hails,  sent 
showers  of  lances.  Harry,  however,  with  the  aid  of 
two  or  three  Malays,  soon  loaded  the  guns  of  the 
prahu. 

"  No  kill,"  Hassan  said.  "  We  want  make 
friends.  No  good  kill." 

Accordingly  the  guns  were  fired  far  over  the  heads 
of  the  assailants,  who  at  once  took  to  the  bushes. 
After  three  hours'  rowing  they  entered  the  river, 
and  continued  their  course  up  it  until  long  into  the 
night,  for  the  rowers  were  as  anxious  as  was  Hassan 
himself  to  reach  their  village.  They  were  numerous 
enough  to  furnish  relays  at  the  oars,  and  the  stroke 


126  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

never  flagged  until,  an  hour  before  midnight,  fires 
were  seen  burning  ahead,  as  they  turned  a  bend  of 
the  river.  The  Malays  raised  a  yell  of  triumph, 
which  was  answered  from  the  village,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  prahu  was  brought  up  to  the  bank.  A 
crowd,  composed  mostly  of  women  and  children,  re> 
ceived  them  with  shouts  of  welcome  and  gladness* 
Hassan  at  once  led  the  midshipmen  to  a  large  hut 
that  had  evidently  been  prepared  in  readiness  for 
them.  Piles  of  skins  lay  in  two  of  the  corners,  and 
the  lads,  who  were  utterly  worn  out,  threw  them 
selves  down,  and  were  almost  instantly  asleep. 

The  sun  was  high  when  the  mat  at  the  entrance 
was  drawn  aside,  and  Hassan  entered,  followed  by 
four  of  his  followers.  One  carried  a  great  water- 
jar  and  two  calabashes,  with  some  cotton  cloths  and 
towels;  the  other  brought  fruit  of  several  varieties, 
eggs,  and  sweetmeats,  together  with  a  large  gourd 
full  of  steaming  coffee. 

"  Hassan  come  again,"  the  chief  said,  and  left  the 
hut  with  his  followers.  The  lads  poured  calabashes 
of  water  over  each  other,  and  felt  wonderfully  re 
freshed  by  their  wash,  which  was  accomplished  with 
out  damage  to  the  floor,  which  was  of  bamboos  raised 
two  feet  above  the  ground.  When  they  were 
dressed  they  fell  to  at  their  breakfast,  and  then  w<jnt 
out  of  doors.  Hassan  had  evidently  been  watching 
for  them,  for  he  came  out  of  his  house,  which  was 
next  to  that  which  they  occupied,  holding  his  little 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  127 

girl's  hand.  She  at  once  ran  up  to  them,  saluting 
them  by  their  names. 

"  Bahi  very  glad  to  see  you,"  she  said,  "  very  glad 
to  see  good,  kind  officers."  The  child  had  picked 
up,  during  her  month  on  board  the  ship,  a  great  deal 
of  English,  from  her  constant  communication  with 
the  officers  and  crew.  "  Bad  men  wound  Dick,"  she 
went  on  pitifully.  "  Wicked  men  to  hurt  him." 

"  Bahi,  will  you  tell  your  father  how  much  we  are 
obliged  to  him  for  having  come  to  our  rescue.  We 
should  have  been  killed  if  he  had  not  come." 

The  child  translated  the  sentence.  The  chief 
smiled. 

"  Tell  them,"  he  said,  "  that  Hassan  is  glad  to 
have  been  able  to  pay  back  a  little  of  the  obligation 
he  was  under  to  them.  Besides,  Sehi  Pandash  was 
my  enemy.  Good  thing  to  help  friends  and  kill 
enemy  at  the  same  time.  Tell  them  that  Hassan 
does  not  want  thanks;  they  did  not  like  him  to  thank 
them  for  saving  you."  The  child  translated  this 
with  some  difficulty.  Then  he  led  the  midshipmen 
round  the  village,  and  showed  them  the  strong  pali 
sade  which  had  evidently  just  been  erected,  and  ex 
plained,  through  the  child,  that  it  had  only  been  built 
before  he  left,  as  but  fifteen  men  were  available  for 
guarding  the  place  in  his  absence. 

The  next  four  days  were  spent  in  shooting  expe 
ditions,  and  although  they  met  with  no  wild  beasts, 
they  secured  a  large  number  of  bird-skins  for  the 


r28  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

doctor.  Oh  the  fifth  day  a  native  ran  in  and  said 
that  boats  with  white  men  were  coming.  The  mid 
shipmen  ran  down  to  the  bank,  and  saw  the  ship's 
two  cutters  and  a  gig  approaching.  The  captain 
himself  was  in  the  stern  of  the  latter,  and  the  doctor 
was  sitting  beside  him.  A  minute  or  two  later  they 
were  shaking  hands  with  the  officers,  and  saying  a 
few  words  to  the  men,  who  were  evidently  delighted 
to  see  them  again.  Just  as  the  greetings  were  over, 
Hassan,  in  a  rich  silk  sarong  and  jacket,  came  down 
towards  them.  He  was  leading  his  little  daughter, 
and  six  Malays  followed  them. 

"  Welcome,  Captain,"  he  said  gravely.  "  Hassan 
very  glad  to  see  you.  All  come  right  now." 

"  Thank  you,  chief.  We  have  learned  from  your 
messenger  how  gallantly  you  have  rescued  my  two 
officers,  and  put  an  end  to  our  troubles  by  killing 
the  Rajah  Sehi,  and  capturing  the  last  of  the  pirati 
cal  craft." 

This  was  too  much  for  Hassan,  and  had  to  be 
translated  by  Soh  Hay.  Since  the  chief's  return,  a 
uumber  of  his  men  had  been  occupied  in  construct 
ing  bamboo  huts  for  the  use  of  the  captain,  officers, 
and  men,  also  a  large  hall  to  be  used  for  councils  and 
meetings;  and  to  this  he  now  led  the  captain  and  his 
officers.  When  they  were  seated,  he  made  a  speech 
of  welcome,  saying  what  gladness  it  was  to  him  to 
see  there  those  who  had  been  so  kind  to  him.  Had 
he  known  when  they  would  arrive,  food  would  have 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  i2g 

been  ready  for  them;  and  he  assured  them  that, 
however  long  they  might  stay,  they  would  be  most 
heartily  welcome,  and  that  there  should  be  no  lack 
of  provisions.  They  had  done  an  immense  service 
to  him,  and  to  all  the  other  chiefs  on  the  river,  by 
breaking  up  the  power  of  one  who  preyed  upon  all 
his  neighbors,  and  was  a  scourge  to  trade.  As  there 
were  still  several  bottles  of  the  rajah's  wine  left, 
champagne  was  now  handed  round. 

"  It  makes  my  heart  glad  to  see  you,  Doctor,"  the 
chief  said.  "  See,  I  am  as  strong  and  as  well  as 
ever.  Had  it  not  been  for  you,  my  arm  might  now 
have  been  useless,  and  my  ribs  have  grown  through 
the  flesh." 

"  I  don't  think  it  would  have  been  as  bad  as  that,'5 
the  doctor  replied;  "but  there  is  no  doubt  that  it 
was  fortunate  that  you  were  able  to  receive  surgical 
treatment  so  soon  after  the  accident.  And  it  has 
been  fortunate  for  us,  too,  especially  for  our  young 
friends  here." 

Conversation  became  general  now,  and  the  inter 
preter  was  kept  hard  at  work,  and  Bahi  divided  her 
attention  between  the  officers  and  the  men,  flitting 
in  and  out  of  the  hall,  and  chattering  away  to  the 
sailors  and  marines  who  were  breakfasting  outside 
on  the  stores  they  had  brought  up,  supplemented  by 
a  bountiful  supply  of  fruit,  which  grew  in  abundance 
round  the  village.  It  was  not  long  before  a  meal 
was  served  to  the  officers,  fowl  having  been  hastily 


I  jo  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

killed  as  soon  as  the  boats  were  seen  approaching; 
several  jungle  fowl  had  been  brought  in  that  morn 
ing;  plaintains  and  rice  were  boiled,  and  cakes  baked. 
Tea  was  forthcoming  from  the  boats'  stores,  and  a 
hearty  meal  was  eaten. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

AFTER  the  meal  was  concluded,  the  captain  said 
to  the  chief : 

"  Now,  Hassan,  we  want  to  know  how  it  was  that 
you  arrived  at  the  nick  of  time  to  save  my  officers' 
lives." 

"  I  had  been  watching  for  some  days,"  the  chief 
said  quietly.  "  When  I  heard  that  many  chiefs  had 
joined  Sehi  Pandash,  I  said  '  I  must  go  and  help  my 
white  brothers/  but  I  dared  not  take  many  men 
away  from  here,  and  as  I  kad  to  hide,  the  fewer  there 
were  with  me  the  better;  so  I  came  down  into  the 
forest  near  Sehi's  town,  and  found  the  wood  full  of 
men.  We  had  come  down  in  sampans,  so  that  I 
could  send  off  messengers  as  might  be  required. 
One  of  these  I  sent  down  to  you,  to  warn  you  to  be 
prepared  for  an  attack.  Other  messengers  I  had 
sent  before  from  here;  but  they  must  have  been 
caught  and  killed,  for  I  had  been  watched  closely 
when  they  found  that  I  would  not  join  against  you. 

"  When  my  last  messenger  returned,  I  was  glad;  I 
knew  that  you  would  be  on  your  guard,  and  would 
not  be  caught  treacherously.  Two  of  my  men  were 
in  the  town  when  they  began  to  fire  on  the  ship,  and 
I  saw  the  town  destroyed,  and  followed  Sehi  to  the 


132  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

place  where  the  six  prahus  were  lying,  and  crossed 
the  creek,  and  lay  down  in  the  woods  near  the  vil 
lage  on  the  other  side;  for  I  thought  that  something 
might  happen.  One  of  my  men  went  down  in  the 
night,  and  brought  me  news  that  the  ship  was  gone. 
As  my  messenger  had  told  me  that  you  had  ques 
tioned  him  as  to  the  other  entrance  to  the  creek,  I 
felt  sure  that  you  had  gone  there;  so  I  was  not  sur 
prised  when,  just  before  daybreak,  two  guns  were 
fired.  We  saw  the  fight,  the  sinking  of  two  of  their 
vessels,  and  the  attack  by  the  water  pirates,  and  by 
the  men  of  the  rajah  and  the  chiefs  with  him,  and  I 
feared  greatly  that  my  friends  would  be  over 
powered. 

"  I  sent  one  of  my  men  down  to  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  to  tell  you  how  much  aid  was  wanted;  but  he 
saw  the  ship  steaming  up  as  he  went,  and  so  came 
back  to  me.  Then  we  heard  the  ship's  great  guns 
begin  to  fire,  and  soon  all  was  quiet  where  the  fight 
had  been  going  on.  Then  I  saw  the  other  four  boats 
start.  One  of  them  sank  before  she  was  out  of 
sight,  and  I  soon  heard  that  your  ship  had  sunk  an 
other,  and  that  two  had  got  away.  It  was  not  for 
another  two  days  that  I  learned  where  they  were, 
and  then  I  heard  that  they  had  gone  into  a  creek 
twenty  miles  away;  there  one  had  sunk,  and  the  other 
had  been  joined  by  the  two  prahus  that  had  been  far 
up  the  river;  and  I  also  learned  that  one  of  Sehi's 
men  had  gone  into  the  village  and  let  himself  be  cap- 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  133 

tured,  so  that  he  might  guide  the  ship's  boats  to  the 
place  where,  as  they  thought,  they  would  find  but 
one  prahu,  while  three  would  be  waiting  for  them. 
I  was  not  sure  where  the  exact  place  was,  for  there 
are  many  creeks,  but,  with  one  of  my  men,  I  rowed 
in  a  sampan  all  night,  in  hopes  to  arrive  in  time  to 
warn  the  boats;  but  it  was  not  till  I  heard  the  firing 
that  I  knew  exactly  where  they  were. 

"  When  I  got  there  the  fighting  was  over,  and 
but  one  prahu  had  escaped,  and  I  learned  from  the 
men  who  had  swum  ashore  from  those  that  had  been 
sunk  that  one  of  the  English  boats  had  been  de 
stroyed,  and  many  men  killed,  but  that  two  boats  had 
gone  down  the  creek  again.  It  was  also  said  that 
the  white  officers  and  sailors  had  boarded  the  boat 
that  had  escaped,  and  had  been  all  killed.  I  thought 
it  best  to  follow  the  prahu,  so  that  I  could  send  word 
to  you  where  she  was  to  be  found.  As  there  were 
many  passages,  it  was  difficult  to  find  her,  and  I 
should  have  lost  her  altogether  had  I  not  heard 
where  Sehi  was  hiding,  and  guessed  that  she  would 
go  there.  It  was  late  when  I  arrived  at  the  village. 
There  one  of  my  men  learned  that  two  young  offi 
cers,  who  had  been  wounded,  had  been  brought 
there,  and  !hat  Sehi  was  sending  word  to  you  that, 
unless  you  gave  him  the  conditions  he  asked,  they 
would  be  put  to  death. 

"  I  did  not  know  whether  to  send  down  to  you,  or 
to  send  up  the  river  for  help;  but  I  thought  the  last 


j34  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

was  best,  for  if  you  came  in  boats,  then  Sehi's  men 
would  hear  you,  and  the  officers  would  be  killed;  so 
I  sent  off  my  man  with  the  sampan.  I  told  him 
that  he  must  not  stop  until  he  got  here.  He  must 
tell  them  that  all  my  men,  except  fifty  old  ones  who 
were  to  guard  the  village,  were  to  start  in  their 
canoes,  and  paddle  their  hardest  till  they  came  with 
in  half  a  mile  of  the  village,  and  he  was  to  come  back 
with  them  to  guide  them,  and  I  was  to  meet  them. 
As  the  prahus  that  had  been  up  there  were  destroyed, 
the  river  was  safe  for  them  to  descend.  I  said  that 
they  must  be  at  the  point  I  named  last  evening. 
They  were  two  hours  late,  though  they  had  paddled 
their  hardest.  As  soon  as  they  disembarked  I  led 
them  to  the  spot,  and  the  rest  was  easy.  I  knew  that 
the  prisoners  who  had  been  taken  were  my  two 
friends,  for  I  saw  them  on  the  deck  of  the  prahu; 
and  glad  indeed  I  was  to  be  able  to  pay  my  debt  to 
them." 

"  You  have  paid  it  indeed  most  nobly,  Hassan," 
the  captain  said,  holding  out  his  hand,  and  grasping 
that  of  the  chief,  when,  sentence  by  sentence,  the 
story  was  translated  to  him.  "  Little  did  we  think, 
when  you  were  brought  on  board  the  Serpent,  that 
your  friendship  would  turn  out  of  such  value  to  us." 

There  was  now  some  discussion  as  to  the  proposed 
meeting  of  chiefs;  and  half  an  hour  after,  a  dozen 
small  canoes  started  with  invitations  to  the  various 
chiefs  to  meet  the  captain  at  Hassan's  campong,  with 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES'.  135 

assurances  that  he  was  ready  to  overlook  their  share 
in  the  attack  on  the  ship,  and  be  on  friendly  terms 
with  them,  and  that  the  safety  of  each  who  attended 
was  guaranteed,  whether  he  was  willing  to  be  on 
good  terms  with  the  English  or  not.  Four  days 
later,  the  meeting  took  place  in  the  newly  erected 
hall.  Ten  or  twelve  of  the  chiefs  attended;  others, 
who  had  taken  a  leading  part  as  Sehi's  allies,  did  not 
venture  to  come  themselves,  but  sent  messages  with 
assurances  of  their  desire  to  be  on  friendly  terms. 
A  good  deal  of  ceremonial  was  observed.  The  ma 
rines  and  bluejackets  were  drawn  up  in  line  before 
the  hall,  which  was  decorated  with  green  boughs;  a 
Union  Jack  waved  from  a  pole  in  front  of  it. 

The  chiefs  were  introduced  by  Hassan  to  the  cap 
tain.  The  former  then  addressed  them,  rehearsing 
the  service  that  the  English  had  done  to  them  by  de 
stroying  the  power  of  the  tyrant  who  had  long  been 
a  scourge  to  his  neighbors,  and  who  intended,  with 
out  doubt,  to  become  master  of  the  whole  district. 
As  a  proof  of  the  good  will  of  the  English  towards 
the  Malays,  he  related  how  the  two  English  officers 
had  leaped  into  the  water  to  save  his  child,  and  how 
kindly  he  himself  had  been  treated.  Then  the  cap 
tain  addressed  them  through  the  interpreter.  He 
told  them  that  he  had  only  been  sent  up  the  river  by 
the  Governor  in  accordance  with  an  invitation  from 
Sehi,  of  whose  conduct  he  was  ignorant,  to  under 
take  the  protectorate  of  his  district;  and  that,  on 


136  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

learning  his  true  character,  he  at  once  reported  to 
the  Governor  that  the  rajah  was  not  a  proper  person 
to  receive  protection,  as  not  only  did  he  prevent  trade 
and  harass  his  neighbors,  but  was  the  owner  of  a 
number  of  piratical  craft,  that  often  descended  the 
river  and  plundered  the  coast. 

"  England,"  he  went  on,  "  has  no  desire  whatever 
to  take  under  her  protection  any  who  do  not  earnestly 
desire  it,  and  who  are  not  willing,  in  return,  to  pro 
mote  trade,  and  keep  peace  with  their  neighbors;  nor 
can  she  make  separate  arrangements  with  minor 
chiefs.  It  was  only  because  she  understood  that  Sehi 
ruled  over  a  considerable  extent  of  territory,  and  was 
all-powerful  in  this  part,  that  his  request  was  lis 
tened  to. 

"  I  shall  shortly  return  down  the  river,"  he  said, 
"  and  have  no  thought  or  intention  of  interfering  in 
any  way  with  matters  here.  I  wish  to  leave  on  good 
terms  with  you  all,  and  to  explain  to  you  that  it  is 
to  your  interest  to  do  all  in  your  power  to  further 
trade,  both  by  sending  down  your  products  to  the 
coast,  and  by  throwing  no  hindrance  in  the  way  of 
the  products  of  the  highlands  coming  down  the 
river,  charging,  at  the  utmost,  a  very  small  toll  upon 
each  boat  that  passes  up  and  down.  It  is  the  interest 
of  all  of  you,  of  the  people  of  the  hills,  and  of  our 
selves,  that  trade  should  increase.  Now  that  Sehi 
is  dead  and  his  people  altogether  dispersed  and  all 
his  piratical  craft  destroyed,  with  the  exception  of 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  137 

the  one  captured  by  Hassan,  there  is  no  obstruction 
to  trade,  and  you  are  free  from  the  fear  that  he  would 
one  day  eat  you  up. 

"  Be  assured  that  there  is  nothing  to  be  feared 
from  us.  You  all  know  how  greatly  the  States  pro 
tected  by  us  have  flourished  and  how  wealthy  their 
rajahs  have  become  from  the  increase  of  cultivation 
and  the  cessation  of  tribal  wars.  If  in  the  future  all 
the  chiefs  of  this  district  should  desire  to  place  them 
selves  under  English  protection,  their  request  will 
be  considered;  but  there  is  not  the  slightest  desire  on 
the  part  of  the  Governor  to  assume  further  responsi 
bility,  and  he  will  be  well  satisfied  indeed  to  know 
that  there  is  peace  among  the  river  tribes,  security 
for  trade,  and  a  large  increase  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  country  and  in  its  prosperity." 

There  was  a  general  expression  of  satisfaction 
and  relief  upon  the  face  of  the  chiefs,  as,  sentence  by 
sentence,  the  speech  was  translated  to  them ;  and,  one 
by  one,  they  rose  after  its  conclusion,  and  expressed 
their  hearty  concurrence  with  what  had  been  said. 

"  We  know,"  one  of  them  said,  "  that  these  wars 
do  much  harm;  but  if  we  quarrel,  or  if  one  ill-treats 
another,  or  encourages  his  slaves  to  leave  him,  or 
ravages  his  plantations,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  " 

"  That  I  have  thought  of,"  the  captain  said.  "  I 
have  spoken  with  the  chief  Hassan,  and  he  has 
agreed  to  remove  with  his  people  to  the  spot  where 
Sehi's  town  stood.  There,  doubtless,,  he  will  be 


138  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

joined  by  Sehi's  former  subjects,  who  cannot  but  be 
well  pleased  at  being  rid  of  a  tyrant  who  had  for 
cibly  taken  them  under  his  rule.  He  will  retain  the 
prahu  that  he  has  taken,  and  will  use  it  to  keep  the 
two  rivers  free  of  robbers,  but  in  no  other  respect 
will  he  interfere  with  his  neighbors.  His  desire  is 
to  cultivate  the  land,  clear  away  the  forest,  and  en 
courage  his  people  to  raise  products  that  he  can  send 
down  the  river  to  trade  with  us.  He  will  occupy 
the  territory  only  as  far  as  the  creek  that  runs  be 
tween  the  two  rivers.  I  propose  that  all  of  you  shall 
come  to  an  agreement  to  submit  any  disputes  that 
may  arise  between  you  to  his  decision,  swearing  to 
accept  his  judgment,  whichever  way  it  may  go. 
This  is  the  way  in  which  the  disputes  are  settled  in 
our  country.  Both  sides  go  before  a  judge,  and  he 
hears  their  statements  and  those  of  their  witnesses, 
and  then  decides  the  case;  and  even  the  government 
of  the  country  is  bound  by  his  decision.  I  don't 
wish  you  to  give  me  any  reply  as  to  this.  I  make 
the  suggestion  solely  for  your  own  good,  and  it  is 
for  you  to  talk  it  over  among  yourselves,  and  see  if 
you  cannot  all  come  to  an  agreement  that  will  put  a 
stop  to  the  senseless  wars,  and  enable  your  people  to 
cultivate  the  land  in  peace,  and  to  obtain  all  the  com 
forts  that  arise  from  trade." 

A  boat  had  been  sent  down  to  the  ship,  and  this 
returned  with  a  number  of  the  articles  that  had  been 
put  on  board  her  as  presents  for  Sehi  and  other 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  139 

chiefs.  These  were  now  distributed.  A  feast  was 
then  held,  and  the  next  morning  the  chiefs  started 
for  their  homes,  highly  gratified  with  the  result  of 
the  meeting.  On  the  following  day,  the  British 
boats  also  took  their  way  down  the  river,  followed 
by  the  prahu,  with  a  considerable  number  of  Has 
san's  men,  who  were  to  clear  away  the  ruins  of  Sehi's 
campong,  to  bury  the  dead  still  lying  among  them, 
and  to  erect  huts  for  the  whole  community.  The 
Serpent  remained  for  a  week  opposite  the  town;  a 
considerable  quantity  of  flour,  sugar,  and  other  use 
ful  stores  being  landed  for  the  use  of  Hassan's 
people.  Dr.  Horsley  was  gladdened  by  Hassan's 
promise  that  his  people  should  be  instructed  to  search 
for  specimens  of  birds,  butterflies,  and  other  insects, 
and  that  these  should  be  treated  according  to  his  in 
structions,  and  should  be  from  time  to  time,  as  occa 
sion  offered,  sent  down  to  him  in  large  cases  to 
Singapore.  To  the  two  midshipmen  the  chief  gave 
krises  of  the  finest  temper. 

"  I  have  no  presents  to  give  you  worthy  of  your 
acceptance,"  he  said ;  "  but  you  know  that  I  shall 
never  forget  you,  and  always  regard  you  as  brothers. 
I  intend  to  send  twelve  of  my  young  men  down  to 
Penang,  there  to  live  for  three  years  and  learn  use 
ful  trades  from  your  people.  The  doctor  has  ad- 
yised  me  also  to  send  Bahi,  and  has  promised  to  find 
a  comfortable  home  for  her,  where  she  will  learn  to 
read  and  write  your  language  and  many  other  useful 


I4o  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

things.  It  is  hard  to  part  with  her;  but  it  is  for  her 
good  and  that  of  her  people.  If  you  will  write  to 
me  sometimes,  she  will  read  the  letters  to  me  and 
write  letters  to  you  in  return,  so  that,  though  we  are 
away  from  each  other,  we  may  know  that  neither  of 
us  has  forgotten  the  other." 

Bahi  and  twelve  young  Malays  were  taken  to 
Penang  in  the  Serpent,  where  the  doctor  found  a 
comfortable  home  for  her  with  some  friends  of  his, 
to  whom  payment  for  her  board  and  schooling  was 
to  be  paid  by  Hassan  in  blocks  of  tin,  which  he  would 
obtain  from  boats  coming  down  from  the  hills  in 
exchange  for  other  articles  of  trade.  The  Malays 
were  placed  with  men  of  their  own  race  belonging 
to  the  protected  States,  and  settled  as  carpenters, 
smiths,  and  other  tradesmen  in  Penang.  Three 
years  later,  they  and  Bahi  were  all  taken  back  in  the 
Serpent  to  their  home. 

The  river  was  acquiring  considerable  importance 
from  the  great  increase  of  trade.  They  found  Has 
san's  town  far  more  extensive  and  flourishing  than 
it  had  been  in  the  time  of  its  predecessor.  The 
forest  had  been  cleared  for  a  considerable  distance 
round  it,  the  former  inhabitants  had  returned,  to 
bacco,  sugar-canes,  cotton,  pepper,  and  other  crops 
whose  products  were  useful  for  trade  purposes,  were 
largely  cultivated,  while  orchards  of  fruit-trees  had 
been  extensively  planted.  Hassan  reported  that 
tribal  wars  had  almost  ceased,  and  that  disputes  were 


AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES.  141 

in  almost  all  cases  brought  for  his  arbitration.  Ow 
ing  to  the  abolition  of  all  oppressive  tolls,  trade  from 
the  interior  had  very  largely  increased,  a  great  deal 
of  tin,  together  with  spices  and  other  products,  now 
finding  its  way  down  by  the  river.  Hassan  was  de 
lighted  with  the  progress  Bahi  had  made,  and  or 
dered  that  three  or  four  boys  should  at  once  be  placed 
for  instruction  under  each  of  the  men  who  had 
learned  trades  at  Penang. 

There  was  much  regret  on  both  sides  when  the 
Serpent  again  started  down  the  river;  for  it  was 
known  that  she  would  not  return,  as  in  a  few  months 
she  would  be  sent  to  a  Chinese  station,  and  from 
there  would  go  direct  to  England.  The  composition 
of  her  crew  was  already  somewhat  changed.  Lieu 
tenant  Ferguson  had  received  his  promotion  for  the 
fight  with  the  prahus,  and  had  been  appointed  to  the 
command  of  a  gunboat  whose  captain  had  been  in 
valided  home.  Lieutenant  Hopkins  was  now  the 
Serpent's  first  lieutenant,  and  Morrison  was  second. 
Harry  Parkhurst  was  third  lieutenant,  Dick  Balder- 
son,  to  the  regret  of  both,  having  left  the  ship  on 
his  promotion,  and  having  been  transferred  as  third 
lieutenant  to  Captain  Ferguson's  craft.  Both  have 
since  kept  up  a  correspondence  with  Bahi,  who  has 
married  a  neighboring  chief,  and  who  tells  them 
that  the  river  is  prospering  greatly,  and  that,  al 
though  he  assumes  no  authority,  her  father  is  every 
where  regarded  as  the  paramount  chief  of  the  dis- 


142  AMONG  MALAY  PIRATES. 

:rict.  From  time  to  time  each  receives  chests  filled 
with  spices,  silks,  and  other  Malay  products,  and 
sends  back  in  return  European  articles  of  utility  to 
the  rajah,  for  such  is  the  rank  that  Hassan  has  now 
acquired  on  the  river. 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS, 

A    TALE    OF    THE    GHAUTJ5. 


CHAPTER  I 

A  MERRY  party  were  sitting  in  the  veranda  of  one 
of  the  largest  and  handsomest  bungalows  of  Poonah. 
It  belonged  to  Colonel  Hastings,  colonel  of  a  native 
regiment  stationed  there,  and  at  present,  in  virtue  of 
seniority,  commanding  a  brigade.  Tiffin  was  on, 
and  three  or  four  officers  and  four  ladies  had  taken 
their  seats  in  the  comfortable  cane  lounging  chairs 
which  form  the  invariable  furniture  of  the  veranda 
of  a  well-ordered  bungalow.  Permission  had  been 
duly  asked,  and  granted  by  Mrs.  Hastings,  and  the 
cheroots  had  just  begun  to  draw,  when  Miss  Has 
tings,  a  niece  of  the  colonel,  who  had  only  arrived 
the  previous  week  from  England,  said : 

"  Uncle,  I  am  quite  disappointed.  Mrs.  Lyons 
showed  me  the  bear  she  has  got  tied  up  in  their  com 
pound,  and  it  is  the  most  wretched  little  thing,  not 
bigger  than  Rover,  papa's  retriever,  and  it's  full- 
grown.  I  thought  bears  were  great  fierce  creatures, 
and  tins  poor  little  thing  seemed  so  restless  and  un- 

»43 


144  BEARS  AND  DACOITS. 

happy  that  I  thought  it  quite  a  shame  not  to  let 
it  go." 

Colonel  Hastings  smiled  rather  grimly. 

"  And  yet,  small  and  insignificant  as  that  bear  is, 
my  dear,  it  is  a  question  whether  he  is  not  as  dan 
gerous  an  animal  to  meddle  with  as  a  man-eating 
tiger." 

"  What,  that  wretched  little  bear,  uncle?  " 

:<  Yes,  that  wretched  little  bear.  Any  experienced 
sportsman  will  tell  you  that  hunting  those  little  bears 
is  as  dangerous  a  sport  as  tiger-hunting  on  foot,  to 
say  nothing  of  tiger-hunting  from  an  elephant's 
back,  in  which  there  is  scarcely  any  danger  whatever. 
I  can  speak  feelingly  about  it,  for  my  career  was 
pretty  nearly  brought  to  an  end  by  a  bear,  just  after 
I  entered  the  army,  some  thirty  years  ago,  at  a  spot 
within  a  few  miles  from  here.  I  have  got  the  scars 
On  my  shoulder  and  arm  still." 

"  Oh,  do  tell  me  all  about  it,"  Miss  Hastings  said; 
and  the  request  being  seconded  by  the  rest  of  the 
party,  none  of  whom,  with  the  exception  of  Mrs. 
Hastings,  had  ever  heard  the  story  before — for  the 
colonel  was  somewhat  chary  of  relating  this  special 
experience — he  waited  till  they  had  all  drawn  up 
their  chairs  as  close  as  possible,  and  then  giving  two 
or  three  vigorous  puffs  at  his  cheroot,  began  as  fol 
lows: 

"  Thirty  years  ago,  in  1855,  things  were  not  so 
settled  in  the  Deccan  as  they  are  now.  There  was 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  145 

no  idea  of  insurrection  on  a  large  scale,  but  we  were 
going  through  one  of  those  outbreaks  of  Dacoity 
which  have  several  times  proved  so  troublesome. 
Bands  of  marauders  kept  the  country  in  confusion, 
pouring  down  on  a  village,  now  carrying  off  three 
or  four  of  the  Bombay  money-lenders,  who  were 
then,  as  now,  the  curse  of  the  country;  sometimes 
making  an  onslaught  upon  a  body  of  traders;  and 
occasionally  venturing  to  attack  small  detachments 
of  troops  or  isolated  parties  of  police.  They  were 
not  very  formidable,  but  they  were  very  trouble 
some,  and  most  difficult  to  catch,  for  the  peasantry 
regarded  them  as  patriots,  and  aided  and  shielded 
them  in  every  way.  The  headquarters  of  these 
gangs  of  Dacoits  were  the  Ghauts.  In  the  thick 
bush  and  deep  valleys  and  gorges  there  they  could 
always  take  refuge,  while  sometimes  the  more  dar 
ing  chiefs  converted  these  detached  peaks  and  masses 
of  rock,  numbers  of  which  you  can  see  as  you  come 
up  the  Ghaut  by  railway,  into  almost  impregnable 
fortresses.  Many  of  these  masses  of  rock  rise  as 
sheer  up  from  the  hillside  as  walls  of  masonry,  and 
look  at  a  short  distance  like  ruined  castles.  Some 
are  absolutely  inaccessible;  others  can  only  be  scaled 
by  experienced  climbers;  and,  although  possible  for 
the  natives  with  their  bare  feet,  are  impracticable  to 
European  troops.  Many  of  these  rock  fortresses 
were  at  various  times  the  headquarters  of  famous 
Dacoit  leaders,  and  unless  the  summits  happened  to 


i40  BEARS  AND  DACOITS. 

be  commanded  from  some  higher  ground  within 
gunshot  range  they  were  all  but  impregnable,  except 
by  starvation.  When  driven  to  bay,  these  fellows 
•would  fight  well. 

"  Well,  about  the  time  I  joined,  the  Dacoits  were 
unusually  troublesome;  the  police  had  a  hard  time  of 
it,  and  almost  lived  in  the  saddle,  and  the  cavalry 
were  constantly  called  up  to  help  them,  while  de 
tachments  of  infantry  from  the  station  were  under 
canvas  at  several  places  along  the  top  of  the  Ghauts 
to  cut  the  bands  off  from  their  strongholds,  and  to 
aid,  if  necessary,  in  turning  them  out  of  their  rock 
fortresses.  The  natives  in  the  valleys  at  the  foot  of 
the  Ghauts,  who  have  always  been  a  semi-inde 
pendent  race,  ready  to  rob  whenever  they  saw  a 
chance,  were  great  friends  with  the  Dacoits  and  sup 
plied  them  with  provisions  whenever  the  hunt  on  the 
Deccan  was  too  hot  to  make  raids  in  that  direction. 

"  This  is  a  long  introduction,  you  will  say,  and 
does  not  seem  to  have  much  to  do  with  bears;  but  it 
is  really  necessary,  as  you  will  see.  I  had  joined 
about  six  months  when  three  companies  of  the  regi 
ment  were  ordered  to  relieve  a  wing  of  the  i5th, 
who  had  been  under  canvas  at  a  village  some  four 
miles  to  the  north  of  the  point  where  the  line  crosses 
the  top  of  the  Ghauts.  There  were  three  white  offi 
cers,  and  little  enough  to  do,  except  when  a  party 
was  sent  off  to  assist  the  police.  We  had  one  or  two 
brushes  with  the  Dacoits,  but  I  was  not  out  on  either 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  147 

occasion.  However,  there  was  plenty  of  shooting, 
and  a  good  many  pigs  about,  so  we  had  very  good 
fun.  Of  course,  as  a  raw  hand,  I  was  very  hot  for 
it,  and  as  the  others  had  both  passed  the  enthusiastic 
age,  except  for  pig-sticking  and  big  game,  I  could 
always  get  away.  I  was  supposed  not  to  go  far 
from  camp,  because  in  the  first  place,  I  might  be 
wanted;  and,  in  the  second,  because  of  the  Dacoits; 
and  Norworthy,  who  was  in  command,  used  to  in> 
press  upon  me  that  I  ought  not  to  go  beyond  the 
sound  of  a  bugle.  Of  course  we  both  knew  that  if 
I  intended  to  get  any  sport  I  must  go  further  afoot 
than  this;  but  I  merely  used  to  say  '  All  right,  sir,  I 
will  keep  an  ear  to  the  camp/  and  he  on  his  part 
never  considered  it  necessary  to  ask  where  the  game 
which  appeared  on  the  table  came  from.  But  in 
point  of  fact,  I  never  went  very  far,  and  my  servant 
always  had  instructions  which  way  to  send  for  me 
if  I  was  wanted;  while,  as  to  the  Dacoits,  I  did  not 
believe  in  their  having  the  impudence  to  come  in 
broad  daylight  within  a  mile  or  two  of  our  camp.  I 
did  not  often  go  down  the  face  of  the  Ghauts.  The 
shooting  was  good,  and  there  were  plenty  of  bears 
in  those  days,  but  it  needed  a  long  day  for  such  an 
expedition,  and  in  view  of  the  Dacoits  who  might  be 
scattered  about,  was  not  the  sort  of  thing  to  be 
undertaken  except  with  a  strong  party.  Norworthy 
had  not  given  any  precise  orders  about  it,  but  I  must 
admit  that  he  said  one  day : 


148  BEARS  AND  DACOITS. 

"  '  Of  course  you  won't  be  fool  enough  to  think  of 
going  down  the  Ghauts,  Hastings?  '  But  I  did  not 
look  at  that  as  equivalent  to  a  direct  order — what 
ever  I  should  do  now,"  the  colonel  put  in,  on  seeing 
a  furtive  smile  on  the  faces  of  his  male  listeners. 

"  However,  I  never  meant  to  go  down,  though  I 
used  to  stand  on  the  edge  and  look  longingly  down 
into  the  bush  and  fancy  I  saw  bears  moving  about  in 
scores.  But  I  don't  think  I  should  have  gone  into 
their  country  if  they  had  not  come  into  mine.  One 
day  the  fellow  who  always  carried  my  spare  gun  or 
flask,  and  who  was  a  sort  of  shikaree  in  a  small  way, 
told  me  he  had  heard  that  a  farmer  whose  house 
stood  near  the  edge  of  the  Ghauts,  some  two  miles 
away,  had  been  seriously  annoyed  by  his  fruit  and 
corn  being  stolen  by  bears. 

"  '  I'll  go  and  have  a  look  at  the  place  to-morrow/ 
I  said;  'there  is  no  parade,  and  I  can  start  early. 
You  may  as  well  tell  the  mess  cook  to  put  up  a  basket 
with  some  tiffin  and  a  bottle  of  claret,  and  get  a  boy 
to  carry  it  over.' 

"  '  The  bears  not  come  in  day,'  Rahman  said. 

" '  Of  course  not/  I  replied;  '  still  I  may  like  to 
find  out  which  way  they  come.  Just  do  as  you  are 
told/ 

"  The  next  morning,  at  seven  o'clock,  I  was  at  the 
farmer's  spoken  of,  and  there  was  no  mistake  as  to 
the  bears.  A  patch  of  Indian  corn  had  been  ruined 
by  them,  and  two  dogs  had  been  killed.  The  native 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  149 

was  in  a  terrible  state  of  rage  and  alarm.  He  said 
that  on  moonlight  nights  he  had  seen  eight  of  them, 
and  they  came  and  sniffed  around  the  door  of  the 
cottage. 

" '  Why  don't  you  fire  through  the  window  at 
them  ?  '  I  asked  scornfully,  for  I  had  seen  a  score  of 
tame  bears  in  captivity,  and,  like  you,  Mary,  was  in 
clined  to  despise  them,  though  there  was  far  less 
excuse  for  me;  for  I  had  heard  stories  which  should 
have  convinced  me  that,  small  as  he  is,  the  Indian 
bear  is  not  a  beast  to  be  attacked  with  impunity. 
Upon  walking  to  the  edge  of  the  Ghauts  there  was 
no  difficulty  in  discovering  the  route  by  which  the 
bears  came  up  to  the  farm.  For  a  mile  to  the  right 
and  left  the  ground  fell  away  as  if  cut  with  a  knife, 
leaving  a  precipice  of  over  a  hundred  feet  sheer 
down;  but  close  by  where  I  was  standing  was  the 
head  of  a  water  course,  which  in  time  had  gradually 
worn  a  sort  of  cleft  in  the  wall,  up  or  down  which  it 
was  not  difficult  to  make  one's  way.  Further  down 
this  little  gorge  widened  out  and  became  a  deep  ra 
vine,  and  further  still  a  wide  valley,  where  it  opened 
upon  the  flats  far  below  us.  About  half  a  mite 
down,  where  the  ravine  was  deepest  and  darkest,  was 
a  thick  clump  of  trees  and  jungle. 

"  '  That's  where  the  bears  are  ? '  I  asked  Rahman. 
He  nodded.  It  seemed  no  distance.  I  could  eet 
down  and  back  in  time  for  tiffin,  and  perhaps  bag-  ?, 
couple  of  bears.  For  a  young  sportsman  the  temp- 


150  BEARS  AND  DAC01TS. 

tation  was  great.  '  How  long  would  it  take  us  to 
go  down  and  have  a  shot  or  two  at  them  ? ' 

" '  No  good  go  down.  Master  come  here  at 
night,  shoot  bears  when  they  come  up.' 

"  I  had  thought  of  that;  but,  in  the  first  place,  it 
did  not  seem  much  sport  to  shoot  the  beasts  from 
cover  when  they  were  quietly  eating,  and,  in  the  next 
place,  I  knew  that  Norworthy  could  not,  even  if  he 
were  willing,  give  me  leave  to  go  out  of  camp  at 
night.  I  waited,  hesitating  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
then  I  said  to  myself,  '  It  is  of  no  use  waiting.  I 
could  go  down  and  get  a  bear  and  be  back  again 
while  I  am  thinking  of  it;'  then  to  Rahman,  '  No, 
come  along;  we  will  have  a  look  through  that  wood 
anyhow.' 

Rahman  evidently  did  not  like  it 

*'  Not  easy  to  find  bear,  sahib.     He  very  cunning.' 

"  'Well,  very  likely  we  shan't  find  them,'  I  said, 
'but  we  can  try  anyhow.  Bring  that  bottle  with 
you;  the  tiffin  basket  can  wait  here  till  we  come 
back.'  In  another  five  minutes  I  had  begun  to  climb 
down  the  watercourse — the  shikaree  following  me. 
I  took  the  double-barreled  rifle  and  handed  him  the 
shot-gun,  having  first  dropped  a  bullet  down  each 
barrel  over  the  charge.  The  ravine  was  steep,  but 
there  were  bushes  to  hold  on  by,  and  although  it 
was  hot  work  and  took  a  good  deal  longer  than  I  ex 
pected,  we  at  last  got  down  to  the  place  which  I  had 
fixed  uoon  as  likely  to  be  the  bears'  home. 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  151 

"'Sahib,  climb  up  top,'  Rahman  said;  'come 
down  through  wood;  no  good  fire  at  bear  when  he 
above/ 

"  I  had  heard  that  before;  but  I  was  hot,  the  sun 
was  pouring  down,  there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind, 
and  it  looked  a  long  way  up  to  the  top  of  the  wood. 

"  '  Give  me  the  claret.  It  would  take  too  long  to 
search  the  wood  regularly.  We  will  sit  down  here 
for  a  bit,  and  if  we  can  see  anything  moving  up  in 
the  wood,  well  and  good;  if  not,  we  will  come  back 
again  another  day  with  some  beaters  and  dogs.'  So 
saying,  I  sat  down  with  my  back  against  a  rock,  at 
a  spot  where  I  could  look  up  among  the  trees  for  a 
long  way  through  a  natural  vista.  I  had  a  drink  of 
claret,  and  then  I  sat  and  watched  till  gradually  I 
dropped  off  to  sleep.  I  don't  know  how  long  I  slept, 
but  it  was  some  time,  and  I  woke  up  with  a  sudden 
start.  Rahman,  who  had,  I  fancy,  been  asleep  too, 
also  started  up. 

"  The  noise  which  had  aroused  us  was  made  by  a 
rolling  stone  striking  a  rock :  and  looking  up  I  saw 
some  fifty  yards  away,  not  in  the  wood,  but  on  the 
rocky  hillside  on  our  side  of  the  ravine,  a  bear  stand 
ing,  as  though  unconscious  of  our  presence,  snuffing 
the  air.  As  was  natural,  I  seized  my  rifle,  cocked  it, 
and  took  aim,  unheeding  a  cry  of  '  No,  no,  sahib,' 
from  Rahman.  However,  I  was  not  going  to  miss 
such  a  chance  as  this,  and  I  let  fly.  The  beast  had 
been  standing  sideways  to  me,  and  as  I  saw  him  fall 


152  BEARS  AND  DACOITS. 

I  felt  sure  I  had  hit  him  in  the  heart.  I  gave  ft 
shout  of  triumph,  and  was  about  to  climb  up,  when, 
from  behind  the  rock  on  which  the  bear  had  stood, 
appeared  another,  growling  fiercely;  on  seeing  me,  it 
at  once  prepared  to  come  down.  Stupidly,  being 
taken  by  surprise,  and  being  new  at  it,  I  fired  at  once 
at  its  head.  The  bear  gave  a  spring,  and  then — 
it  seemed  instantaneous — down  it  came  at  me. 
Whether  it  rolled  down,  or  slipped  down,  or  ran 
down,  I  don't  know>  but  it  came  almost  as  if  it  had 
jumped  straight  at  me. 

*  My  gun,  Rahman,'  I  shouted,  holding  out  my 
hand.  There  was  ho  answer.  I  glanced  round, 
and  found  that  the  scoundrel  had  bolted.  I  had 
time,  and  only  just  time,  to  take  a  step  backwards, 
and  to  club  my  rifle,  when  the  brute  was  upon  me. 
I  got  one  fair  blow  st  the  side  of  its  head,  a  blow 
that  would  have  smashed  the  skull  of  any  civilized 
beast  into  pieces,  and  which  did  fortunately  break 
the  brute's  jaw;  then  in  an  instant  he  was  upon  me, 
and  I  was  fighting  for  life.  My  hunting-knife  was 
out,  and  with  my  left  hand  I  had  the  beast  by  the 
throat;  while  with  my  right  I  tried  to  drive  my  knife 
into  its  ribs.  My  bullet  had  gone  through  his  chest. 
The  impetus  of  his  charge  had  knocked  me  over,  and 
we  rolled  on  the  ground,  he  tearing  with  his  claws  a! 
iny  shoulder  and  arm,  I  stabbing  and  struggling;  my 
great  effort  being  to  keep  my  knees  up  so  as  to  pro 
tect  mjr  fcody  with  them  from  his  hind  claws.  After 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  153 

the  first  blow  with  his  paw  which  laid  my  shoulder 
open,  I  do  not  think  I  felt  any  special  pain  whatever. 
There  was  a  strange  faint  sensation,  and  my  whole 
energy  seemed  centered  in  the  two  ideas — to  strike 
and  to  keep  my  knees  up.  I  knew  that  I  was  getting 
faint,  but  I  was  dimly  conscious  that  his  efforts,  too, 
were  relaxing.  His  weight  on  me  seemed  to  in 
crease  enormously,  and  the  last  idea  that  flashed 
across  me  was  that  it  was  a  drawn  fight. 

"  The  next  idea  of  which  I  was  conscious  was 
that  I  was  being  carried.  I  seemed  to  be  swinging 
about,  and  I  thought  I  was  at  sea.  Then  there  was 
a  little  jolt  and  a  sense  of  pain.  *  A  collision/  I  mut 
tered,  and  opened  my  eyes.  Beyond  the  fact  that  I 
seemed  in  a  yellow  world — a  bright  orange-yellow — 
my  eyes  did  not  help  me,  and  I  lay  vaguely  wonder 
ing  about  it  all,  till  the  rocking  ceased.  There  was 
another  bump,  and  then  the  yellow  world  seemed  to 
come  to  an  end;  and  as  the  daylight  streamed  in 
upon  me  I  fainted  again.  This  time,  when  I  awoke 
to  consciousness,  things  were  clearer.  I  was 
stretched  by  a  little  stream.  A  native  woman  was 
sprinkling  my  face  and  washing  the  blood  from  my 
wounds;  while  another,  who  had  with  my  own  knife 
cut  off  my  coat  and  shirt,  was  tearing  the  latter  into 
strips  to  bandage  my  wounds.  The  yellow  world 
was  explained.  I  was  lying  on  the  yellow  robe  of 
one  of  the  women.  They  had  tied  the  ends  together, 
placed  a  long  stick  through  them,  and  carried  me  in 


154  BEARS  AND  DACOITS. 

the  bag-like  hammock.  They  nodded  to  me  when 
they  saw  I  was  conscious,  and  brought  water  in  a 
large  leaf,  and  poured  it  into  my  mouth.  Then  one 
went  away  for  some  time,  and  came  back  with  some 
leaves  and  bark.  These  they  chewed  and  put  on  my 
wounds,  bound  them  up  with  strips  of  my  shirt,  and 
then  again  knotted  the  ends  of  the  cloth,  and  lifting 
me  up,  went  on  as  before. 

"  I  was  sure  that  we  were  much  lower  down  the 
Ghaut  than  we  had  been  when  I  was  watching  for 
the  bears,  and  we  were  now  going  still  lower.  How 
ever,  I  knew  very  little  Hindustani,  nothing  of  the 
language  the  women  spoke.  I  was  too  weak  to  stand, 
too  weak  even  to  think  much ;  and  I  dozed  and  woke, 
and  dozed  again  until,  after  what  seemed  to  me 
many  hours  of  travel,  we  stopped  again,  this  time 
before  a  tent.  Two  or  three  old  women  and  four  or 
five  men  came  out,  and  there  was  great  talking  be 
tween  them  and  the  young  women — for  they  were 
young — who  had  carried  me  down.  Some  of  the 
party  appeared  angry;  but  at  last  things  quieted 
down,  and  I  was  carried  into  the  tent.  I  had  fever, 
and  was,  I  suppose,  delirious  for  days.  I  afterwards 
found  that  for  fully  a  fortnight  I  had  lost  all  con 
sciousness;  but  a  good  constitution  and  the  nursing 
of  the  women  pulled  me  round.  When  once  the 
fever  had  gone,  I  began  to  mend  rapidly.  I  tried 
to  explain  to  the  women  that  if  they  would  go  up  to 
the  camp  and  tell  them  where  I  was  they  would  be 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  155 

well  rewarded;  but  although  I  was  sure  they  under 
stood,  they  shook  their  heads,  and  by  the  fact  that  as 
I  became  stronger  two  or  three  armed  men  always 
hung  about  the  tent,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I 
was  a  sort  of  prisoner.  This  was  annoying,  but  did 
not  seem  serious.  If  these  people  were  Dacoits, 
or,  as  was  more  likely,  allies  of  the  Dacoits,  I  could 
be  kept  only  for  ransom  or  exchange.  Moreover,  I 
felt  sure  of  my  ability  to  escape  when  I  got  strong, 
especially  as  I  believed  that  in  the  young  women 
who  had  saved  my  life,  both  by  bringing  me  down 
and  by  their  careful  nursing,  I  should  find  friends." 

"  Were  they  pretty,  uncle  ? "  Mary  Hastings 
broke  in. 

"  Never  mind  whether  they  were  pretty,  Mary; 
they  were  better  than  pretty." 

"  No;  but  we  should  like  to  know,  uncle." 

"  Well,  except  for  the  soft,  dark  eyes,  common  to 
the  race,  and  the  good  temper  and  lightheartedness, 
also  so  general  among  Hindu  girls,  and  the  tender 
ness  which  women  feel  towards  a  creature  whose 
life  they  have  saved,  whether  it  is  a  wounded  bird  or 
a  drowning  puppy,  I  suppose  they  were  nothing  re 
markable  in  the  way  of  beauty,  but  at  the  time  I 
know  that  I  thought  them  charming." 


CHAPTER   IL 

"  JUST  as  I  was  getting  strong  enough  to  walk,  and 
was  beginning  to  think  of  making  my  escape,  a  band 
of  five  or  six  fellows,  armed  to  the  teeth,  came  in, 
and  made  signs  that  I  was  to  go  with  them.  It  was 
evidently  an  arranged  thing,  the  girls  only  were  sur 
prised,  but  they  were  at  once  turned  out,  and  as  we 
started  I  could  see  two  crouching  figures  in  the  shade 
with  their  cloths  over  their  heads.  I  had  a  native 
garment  thrown  over  my  shoulders,  and  in  five 
minutes  after  the  arrival  of  the  fellows  found  my 
self  on  my  way.  It  took  us  some  six  hours  before 
we  reached  our  destination,  which  was  one  of  those 
natural  rock  citadels.  Had  I  been  in  my  usual 
health  I  could  have  done  the  distance  in  an  hour  and 
a  half,  but  I  had  to  rest  constantly,  and  was  finally 
carried  rather  than  helped  up.  I  had  gone  not  un 
willingly,  for  the  men  were  clearly,  by  their  dress, 
Dacoits  of  the  Deccan,  and  I  had  no  doubt  that  it 
was  intended  either  to  ransom  or  exchange  me. 

"  At  the  foot  of  this  natural  castle  were  some 
twenty  or  thirty  more  robbers,  and  I  was  led  to  a 
rough  sort  of  arbor  in  which  was  lying,  on  a  pile  of 
maize  straw,  a  man  who  was  evidently  their  chief. 
H°.  ~c^  and  we  exchanged  salaams. 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  157 

" '  What  is  your  name,  sahib  ? '  he  asked  in 
Mahratta. 

"  '  Hastings — Lieutenant  Hastings/  I  said. 
'  And  yours  ?  ' 

"  '  Sivajee  Punt ! '  he  said. 

"  This  was  bad.  I  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
the  most  troublesome,  most  ruthless,  and  most  fa 
mous  of  the  Dacoit  leaders.  Over  and  over  again 
he  had  been  hotly  chased,  but  had  always  managed 
to  get  away;  and  when  I  last  heard  anything  of  what 
was  going  on  four  or  five  troops  of  native  police 
were  scouring  the  country  after  him.  He  gave  an 
order  which  I  did  not  understand,  and  a  wretched 
Bombay  writer,  I  suppose  a  clerk  of  some  money 
lender,  was  dragged  forward.  Sivajee  Punt  spoke 
to  him  for  some  time,  and  the  fellow  then  told  me  in 
English  that  I  was  to  write  at  once  to  the  officer  com 
manding  the  troops,  telling  him  that  I  was  in  hia 
hands,  and  should  be  put  to  death  directly  he  was 
attacked. 

"  Ask  him/  I  said,  '  if  he  will  take  any  sum  of 
money  to  let  me  go  ?  ' 

"  Sivajee  shook  his  head  very  decidedly. 

"  A  piece  of  paper  was  put  before  me,  and  a  pen 
and  ink,  and  I  wrote  as  I  had  been  ordered,  adding 
however,  in  French,  that  I  had  brought  myself  into 
my  present  position  by  my  own  folly,  and  would 
take  my  chance,  foi  I  well  knew  the  importance 
which  Government  attached  to  Sivajee's  capture.  I 


158  BEARS  AND  DAC01TS. 

read  out  loud  all  that  I  had  written  in  English,  and 
the  interpreter  translated  it.  Then  the  paper  was 
folded  and  I  addressed  it,  '  The  Officer  Command 
ing/  and  I  was  given  some  chupattis  and  a  drink  of 
water,  and  allowed  to  sleep.  The  Dacoits  had  ap 
parently  no  fear  of  any  immediate  attack. 

"  It  was  still  dark,  although  morning  was  just 
breaking,  when  I  was  awakened,  and  was  got  up  to 
the  citadel.  I  was  hoisted  rather  than  climbed,  two 
men  standing  above  with  a  rope,  tied  round  my  body, 
so  that  I  was  half -hauled,  half -pushed  up  the  difficult 
places,  which  would  have  taxed  all  my  climbing 
powers  had  I  been  in  health. 

"  The  height  of  this  mass  of  rock  was  about  a 
hundred  feet;  the  top  was  fairly  flat,  with  some  de 
pressions  and  risings,  and  about  eighty  feet  long  by 
fifty  wide.  It  had  evidently  been  used  as  a  fortress 
in  ages  past.  Along  the  side  facing  the  hill  were  the 
remains  of  a  rough  wall.  In  the  center  of  a  depres 
sion  was  a  cistern,  some  four  feet  square,  lined  with 
stone-work,  and  in  another  depression  a  gallery  had 
been  cut,  leading  to  a  subterranean  storeroom  or 
chamber. 

"  This  natural  fortress  rose  from  the  face  of  the 
hill  at  a  distance  of  a  thousand  yeards  or  so  from 
the  edge  of  the  plateau,  which  was  fully  two  hun 
dred  feet  higher  than  the  top  of  the  rock.  In 
the  old  days  it  would  have  been  impregnable,  and 
even  at  that  time  it  was  an  awkward  place  to  take, 


BEARS  AND  DAC01TS.  159 

for  the  troops  were  armed  only  with  Brown  Bess, 
and  rifled  cannon  were  not  thought  of.  Looking 
round,  I  could  see  that  I  was  some  four  miles  from 
the  point  where  I  had  descended.  The  camp  was 
gone;  but  running  my  eye  along  the  edge  of  the 
plateau  I  could  see  the  tops  of  tents  a  mile  to  my 
right,  and  again  two  miles  to  my  left;  turning  round, 
and  looking  down  into  the  wide  valley,  I  saw  a 
regimental  camp. 

"  It  was  evident  that  a  vigorous  effort  was  being 
made  to  surround  and  capture  the  Dacoits,  since 
troops  had  been  brought  up  from  Bombay.  In  ad 
dition  to  the  troops  above  and  below,  there  would 
probably  be  a  strong  police  force,  acting  on  the  face 
of  the  hill.  I  did  not  see  all  these  things  at  the  time, 
for  I  was,  as  soon  as  I  got  to  the  top,  ordered  to  sit 
down  behind  the  parapet,  a  fellow  armed  to  the  teeth 
squatting  down  by  me,  and  signifying  that  if  I 
showed  my  head  above  the  stones  he  would  cut  my 
throat  without  hesitation.  There  were,  however, 
sufficient  gaps  between  the  stones  to  allow  me  to 
have  a  view  of  the  crest  of  the  Ghaut,  while  below 
my  view  extended  down  to  the  hills  behind  Bombay. 
It  was  evident  to  me  now  why  the  Dacoits  did  not 
climb  up  into  the  fortress.  There  were  dozens  of 
similar  crags  on  the  face  of  the  Ghauts,  and  the 
troops  did  not  as  yet  know  their  whereabouts.  It 
was  a  sort  of  blockade  of  the  whole  face  of  the  hills 
which  was  being  kept  up,  and  there  were,  probably 


160  BEARS  AND  DACOITS. 

enough,  several  other  bands  of  Dacoits  lurking1  in 
the  jungle. 

"  There  were  only  two  guards  and  myself  on  the 
rock  plateau.  I  discussed  with  myself  the  chances 
of  my  overpowering  them  and  holding  the  top  of  the 
rock  till  help  came;  but  I  was  greatly  weakened,  and 
was  not  a  match  for  a  boy,  much  less  for  the  two 
stalwart  Mahrattas ;  besides,  I  was  by  no  means  sure 
that  the  way  I  had  been  brought  up  was  the  only 
possible  path  to  the  top.  The  day  passed  off  quietly. 
The  heat  on  the  bare  rock  was  frightful,  but  one  of 
the  men,  seeing  how  weak  and  ill  I  really  was, 
fetched  a  thick  rug  from  the  storehouse,  and  with 
the  aid  of  a  stick  made  a  sort  of  lean-to  against  the 
wall,  under  which  I  lay  sheltered  from  the  sun. 

"  Once  or  twice  during  the  day  I  heard  a  few 
distant  musket-shots,  and  once  a  sharp,  heavy  out 
burst  of  firing.  It  must  have  been  three  or  four 
miles  away,  but  it  was  on  the  side  of  the  Ghaut,  and 
showed  that  the  troops  or  police  were  at  work.  My 
guards  looked  anxiously  in  that  direction,  and 
uttered  sundry  curses.  When  it  was  dusk,  Sivajee 
and  eight  of  the  Dacoits  came  up.  From  what  they 
said,  I  gathered  that  the  rest  of  the  band  had  dis 
persed,  trusting  either  to  get  through  the  line  of  their 
pursuers  or,  if  caught,  to  escape  with  slight  punish 
ment,  the  men  who  remained  being  too  deeply  con 
cerned  in  murderous  outrages  to  hope  for  mercy. 
Sivajee  himself  handed  me  a  letter,  which  the  man 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  161 

who  had  taken  my  note  had  brought  back  in  reply. 
Major  Knapp,  the  writer,  who  was  the  second  in 
command,  said  that  he  could  not  engage  the  Govern 
ment,  but  that  if  Lieutenant  Hastings  was  given  up 
the  act  would  certainly  dispose  the  Government  to 
take  the  most  merciful  view  possible;  but  that  if,  on 
the  contrary,  any  harm  was  suffered  by  Lieutenant 
Hastings,  every  man  taken  would  be  at  once  hung. 
Sivajee  did  not  appear  put  out  about  it.  I  do  not 
think  he  expected  any  other  answer,  and  imagine 
that  his  real  object  in  writing  was  simply  to  let  them 
know  that  I  was  a  prisoner,  and  so  enable  him  the 
better  to  paralyze  the  attack  upon  a  position  whicr. 
he  no  doubt  considered  all  but  impregnable. 

"  I  was  given  food,  and  was  then  allowed  to  walk 
as  I  chose  upon  the  little  plateau,  two  of  the  Dacoits 
taking  post  as  sentries  at  the  steepest  part  of  the 
path,  while  the  rest  gathered,  chatting  and  smoking, 
in  the  depression  in  front  of  the  storehouse.  It  was 
still  light  enough  for  me  to  see  for  some  distance 
down  the  face  of  the  rock,  and  I  strained  my  eyes  to 
see  if  I  could  discern  any  other  spot  at  which  an 
ascent  or  descent  was  possible.  The  prospect  was 
not  encouraging.  At  some  places  the  face  fell  sheer 
away  from  the  edge,  and  so  evident  was  the  imprac 
ticability  of  escape  that  the  only  place  which  I 
glanced  at  twice  was  the  western  side,  that  is  the  one 
away  from  the  hill.  Here  it  sloped  gradually  for  a 
few  feet.  I  took  off  my  shoes  and  went  down  to 


i6*  BEARS  AND  DACOITS. 

the  edge.  Below,  some  ten  feet,  was  a  ledge,  on  to 
which  with  care  I  could  get  down,  but  below  that 
was  a  sheer  fall  of  some  fifty  feet.  As  a  means  of 
escape  it  was  hopeless,  but  it  struck  me  that  if  an 
attack  was  made  I  might  slip  away  and  get  on  to  the 
ledge.  Once  there  I  could  not  be  seen  except  by  a 
person  standing  where  I  now  was,  just  on  the  edge 
of  the  slope,  a  spot  to  which  it  was  very  unlikely 
that  anyone  would  come. 

"  The  thought  gave  me  a  shadow  of  hope,  and, 
returning  to  the  upper  end  of  the  platform,  I  lay 
down,  and  in  spite  of  the  hardness  of  the  rock,  was 
soon  asleep.  The  pain  of  my  aching  bones  woke  me 
up  several  times,  and  once,  just  as  the  first  tinge  of 
dawn  was  coming,  I  thought  I  could  hear  move 
ments  in  the  jungle.  I  raised  myself  somewhat, 
and  I  saw  that  the  sounds  had  been  heard  by  the 
Dacoits,  for  they  were  standing  listening,  and  some 
of  them  were  bringing  spare  firearms  from  the  store 
house,  in  evident  preparation  for  attack. 

"  As  I  afterwards  learned,  the  police  had  caught 
one  of  the  Dacoits  trying  to  effect  his  escape,  and 
by  means  of  a  little  of  the  ingenious  torture  to  which 
the  Indian  police  then  frequently  resorted,  when 
their  white  officers  were  absent,  they  obtained  from 
him  the  exact  position  of  Sivajee's  band,  and  learned 
the  side  from  whicn  the  ascent  must  be  made.  That 
the  Dacoit  and  his  band  were  still  upon  the  slopes  of 
the  Ghauts  they  knew,  and  were  gradually  narrowing 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  163 

their  circle,  but  there  were  so  many  rocks  and  hiding- 
places  that  the  process  of  searching  was  a  slow  one, 
and  the  intelligence  was  so  important  that  the  news 
was  off  at  once  to  the  colonel,  who  gave  orders  for 
the  police  to  surround  the  rock  at  daylight  and  to 
storm  it  if  possible.  The  garrison  was  so  small  that 
the  police  were  alone  ample  for  the  work,  supposing 
that  the  natural  difficulties  were  not  altogether  in 
superable. 

"Just  at  daybreak  there  was  a  distant  noise  of 
men  moving  in  the  jungle,  and  the  Dacoit  halfway 
down  the  path  fired  his  gun.  He  was  answered  by 
a  shout  and  a  volley.  The  Dacoits  hurried  out  from 
the  chamber,  and  lay  down  on  the  edge,  where,  shel 
tered  by  a  parapet,  they  commanded  the  path. 
They  paid  no  attention  to  me,  and  I  kept  as  far  away 
as  possible.  The  fire  began — a  quiet,  steady  fire,  a 
shot  at  a  time  and  in  strong  contrast  to  the  rattle 
kept  up  from  the  surrounding  jungle;  but  every  shot 
must  have  told,  as  man  after  man  who  strove  to 
climb  that  steep  path  fell.  It  lasted  only  ten 
minutes,  and  then  all  was  quiet  again. 

"  The  attack  had  failed,  as  I  knew  it  must  do,  for 
two  men  could  have  held  the  place  against  an  army; 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  later  a  gun  from  the  crest  above 
spoke  out,  and  a  round  shot  whistled  above  our 
heads.  Beyond  annoyance,  an  artillery  fire  could  do 
no  harm,  for  the  party  could  be  absolutely  safe  in 
the  store  cave.  The  instant  the  shot  flew  overhead, 


164  BEARS  AND  DACOITS. 

however,  Sivajee  Punt  beckoned  to  me,  and  mo 
tioned  me  to  take  my  seat  on  the  v/all  facing  the 
guns.  Hesitation  was  useless,  and  I  took  my  seat 
with  my  back  to  the  Dacoits  and  my  face  to  the  hill. 
One  of  the  Dacoits,  as  I  did  so,  pulled  off  the  native 
cloth  which  covered  my  shoulders,  in  order  that  I 
might  be  clearly  seen. 

"Just  as  I  took  my  place  another  round  shot 
hummed  by;  but  then  there  was  a  long  interval  of 
silence.  With  a  field-glass  every  feature  must  have 
been  distinguishable  to  the  gunners,  and  I  had  no 
doubt  that  they  were  waiting  for  orders  as  to  what 
to  do  next. 

"  I  glanced  round  and  saw  that,  with  the  exception 
of  one  fellow  squatted  behind  the  parapet  some  half 
dozen  yards  away,  clearly  as  a  sentry  to  keep  me  in 
place,  all  the  others  had  disappeared.  Some,  no 
doubt,  were  on  sentry  down  the  path,  the  others  were 
in  the  store  beneath  me.  After  half  an  hour's  si 
lence  the  guns  spoke  out  again.  Evidently  the  gun 
ners  were  told  to  be  as  careful  as  they  could,  for 
some  of  the  shots  went  wide  on  the  left,  others  on 
the  right.  A  few  struck  the  rock  below  me.  The 
situation  was  not  pleasant,  but  I  thought  that  at  a 
thousand  yards  they  ought  not  to  hit  me,  and  I  tried 
to  distract  my  attention  by  thinking  out  what  I 
should  do  under  every  possible  contingency. 

"  Presently  I  felt  a  crash  and  a  shock,  and  fell 
backwards  to  the  ground  I  was  not  hurt,  am*  -*« 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  165 

picking  myself  up  saw  that  the  ball  had  struck  the 
parapet  to  the  left,  just  where  my  guard  was  sitting, 
and  he  lay  covered  with  its  fragments.  His  turban 
lay  some  yards  behind  him.  Whether  he  was  dead 
or  not  I  neither  knew  nor  cared. 

"  I  pushed  down  some  of  the  parapet  where  I  had 
been  sitting,  dropped  my  cap  on  the  edge  outside, 
so  as  to  make  it  appear  that  I  had  fallen  over,  and 
then,  picking  up  the  man's  turban,  ran  to  the  other 
end  of  the  platform  and  scrambled  down  to  the  ledge. 
Then  I  began  to  wave  my  arms  about — I  had  noth 
ing  on  above  the  waist — and  in  a  moment  I  saw  a 
face  with  a  uniform  cap  peer  out  through  the  jungle, 
and  a  hand  was  waved.  I  made  signs  to  him  to 
make  his  way  to  the  foot  of  the  perpendicular  wall 
of  rock  beneath  me.  I  then  unwound  the  turban, 
whose  length  was,  I  knew,  amply  sufficient  to  reach 
to  the  bottom,  and  then  looked  round  for  something 
to  write  on.  I  had  my  pencil  still  in  my  trousers 
pocket,  but  not  a  scrap  of  paper. 

"  I  picked  up  a  flattish  piece  of  rock  and  wrote  on 
it, '  Get  a  rope-ladder  quickly,  I  can  haul  it  up.  Ten 
men  in  garrison.  They  are  all  under  cover.  Keep 
on  firing  to  distract  their  attention.' 

"  I  tied  the  stone  to  the  end  of  the  turban,  and 
looked  over.  A  non-commissioned  officer  of  the 
police  was  already  standing  below.  I  lowered  the 
stone;  he  took  it,  waved  his  hand  to  me,  and  was 
gone. 


166  BEARS  AND  DACOITS. 

"  An  hour  passed :  it  seemed  an  age.  The  round 
shots  still  rang  overhead,  and  the  fire  was  now  much 
more  heavy  and  sustained  than  before.  Presently 
I  again  saw  a  movement  in  the  jungle,  and  Nor- 
worthy's  face  appeared,  and  he  waved  his  arm  in 
greeting. 

"  Five  minutes  more  and  a  party  were  gathered 
at  the  foot  of  the  rock,  and  a  strong  rope  was  tied 
to  the  cloth.  I  pulled  it  up.  A  rope-ladder  was 
attached  to  it,  and  the  top  rung  was  in  a  minute  or 
two  in  my  hands.  To  it  was  tied  a  piece  of  paper 
with  the  words:  'Can  you  fasten  the  ladder?'  I 
wrote  on  the  paper : '  No;  but  I  can  hold  it  for  a  light 
weight/ 

"  I  put  the  paper  with  a  stone  in  the  end  of  the 
cloth,  and  lowered  it  again.  Then  I  sat  down,  tied 
the  rope  round  my  waist,  got  my  feet  against  two 
projections,  and  waited.  There  was  a  jerk,  and 
then  I  felt  someone  was  coming  up  the  rope-ladder. 
The  strain  was  far  less  than  I  expected,  but  the  na 
tive  policeman  who  came  up  first  did  not  weigh  half 
so  much  as  an  average  Englishman.  There  were 
now  two  of  us  to  hold.  The  officer  in  command  of 
the  police  came  up  next,  then  Norworthy,  then  a 
dozen  more  police.  I  explained  the  situation,  and 
we  mounted  to  the  upper  level.  Not  a  soul  was  to 
be  seen.  Quickly  we  advanced  and  took  up  a  posi 
tion  to  command  the  door  of  the  underground  cham 
ber;  while  one  of  the  police  waved  a  white  cloth  from 


BEARS  AND  DACOITS.  167 

his  bayonet  as  a  signal  to  the  gunners  to  cease  firing. 
Then  the  officer  hailed  the  party  within  the  cave. 

"  '  Sivajee  Punt!  you  may  as  well  come  out  and 
give  yourself  up !  We  are  in  possession,  and  resist 
ance  is  useless ! ' 

"  A  yell  of  rage  and  surprise  was  heard,  and  the 
Dacoits,  all  desperate  men,  came  bounding  out,  fir 
ing  as  they  did  so.  Half  of  their  number  were  shot 
down  at  once  and  the  rest,  after  a  short,  sharp  strug 
gle,  were  bound  hand  and  foot. 

"  That  is  pretty  well  all  of  the  story,  I  think. 
Sivajee  Punt  was  one  of  the  killed.  The  prisoners 
r/ere  all  either  hung  or  imprisoned  for  life.  I  es 
caped  my  blowing-up  for  having  gone  down  the 
Ghauts  after  the  bear,  because,  after  all,  Sivajee 
Punt  might  have  defied  their  force  for  months  had 
I  not  done  so. 

"  It  seemed  that  that  scoundrel  Rahman  had  taken 
back  wcrd  that  I  was  killed.  Norworthy  had  sent 
down  a  strong  party,  who  found  the  two  dead  bears, 
and  who,  having  searched  everywhere  without  find 
ing  any  signs  of  my  body,  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  I  had  been  found  and  carried  away,  especially 
as  they  ascertained  that  natives  used  that  path. 
They  had  offered  rewards,  but  ir thing  was  heard  ol 
me  till  my  note  saying  I  was  in  Sivajee's  hands  ar 
rived." 

"  And  did  you  ever  see  ';h-?  women  who  carried 
you  oft?" 


168  BEARS  AND  DAC01TS. 

"  No,  Mary,  I  never  saw  them  again.  I  did,  how 
ever,  after  immense  trouble,  succeed  in  finding  out 
where  it  was  that  I  had  been  taken  to.  I  went  down 
at  once,  but  found  the  village  deserted.  Then  after 
much  inquiry  I  found  where  the  people  had  moved 
to,  and  sent  messages  to  the  women  to  come  up  to 
the  camp,  but  they  never  came;  and  I  was  reduced  at 
last  to  sending  them  down  two  sets  of  silver  brace 
lets,  necklaces,  and  bangles,  which  must  have  ren 
dered  them  the  envy  of  all  the  women  on  the  Ghauts. 
They  sent  back  a  message  of  grateful  thanks,  and  I 
never  heard  of  them  afterwards.  No  doubt  their 
relatives,  who  knew  that  their  connection  with  the 
Dacoits  was  now  known,  would  not  let  them  come. 
However,  I  had  done  all  I  could  and  I  have  no  doubt 
the  women  were  perfectly  satisfied.  So  you  see,  my 
dear,  that  the  Indian  bear,  small  as  he  is,  is  an  ani 
mal  which  it  is  as  well  to  leave  alone,  at  any  rate 
when  he  happens  to  be  up  on  the  side  of  a  hill  while 
you  are  at  the  foot" 


THE  PATERNOSTERS. 


"  AND  do  you  really  mean  that  we  are  to  cross  by 
the  steamer,  Mr.  Virtue,  while  you  go  over  in  the 
Seabird?  I  do  not  approve  of  that  at  all.  Fanny, 
why  do  you  not  rebel,  and  say  we  won't  be  put 
ashore?  I  call  it  horrid,  after  a  fortnight  on  board 
this  dear  little  yacht,  to  have  to  get  on  to  a  crowded 
steamer,  with  no  accommodation  and  lots  of  sea 
sick  women,  perhaps,  and  crying  children.  You 
surely  cannot  be  in  earnest  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  like  it  any  more  than  you  do,  Minnie; 
but,  as  Tom  says  we  had  better  do  it,  and  my  hus 
band  agrees  with  him,  I  am  afraid  we  must  submit. 
Do  you  really  think  it  is  quite  necessary,  Mr.  Virtue  ? 
Minnie  and  I  are  both  good  sailors,  you  know;  and 
we  would  much  rather  have  a  little  extra  tossing 
about  on  board  the  Seabird  than  the  discomforts  of 
a  steamer." 

"  I  certainly  think  that  it  will  be  best,  Mrs.  Grant- 
ham.  You  know  very  well  we  would  rather  have 
you  on  board,  and  that  we  shall  suffer  from  your 
loss  more  than  you  will  by  going  the  other  way;  but 
there's  no  doubt  the  wind  is  getting  up,  and  though 
we  don't  feel  it  much  here,  it  must  be  blowing  pretty 

169 


I7o  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

hard  outside.  The  Seabird  is  as  good  a  seaboat  as 
anything  of  her  size  that  floats;  but  you  don't  know 
what  it  is  to  be  out  in  anything  like  a  heavy  sea  in  a 
thirty-tonner.  It  would  be  impossible  for  you  to 
stay  on  deck,  and  we  should  have  our  hands  full,  and 
should  not  be  able  to  give  you  the  benefit  of  our  so 
ciety.  Personally,  I  should  not  mind  being  out  in 
*oe  Seabird  in  any  weather,  but  I  would  certainly 
'^ther  not  have  ladies  on  board." 

"  You  don't  think  we  should  scream,  or  do  any- 
\2iing  foolish,  Mr.  Virtue?"  Minnie  Graham  s-iid 
indignantly. 

"  Not  at  all,  Miss  Graham.  Still,  I  repeat,  the 
knowledge  that  there  are  women  on  board,  delightful 
at  other  times,  does  not  tend  to  comfort  in  bad 
weather.  Of  course,  if  you  prefer  it,  we  can  put  off 
our  start  till  this  puff  of  wind  has  blown  itseK  out. 
It  may  have  dropped  before  morning.  It  m\y  last 
some  little  time.  I  don't  think  myself  that  it  will 
drop,  for  the  glass  has  fallen,  and  I  am  afraid  we 
may  have  a  spell  of  broken  weather." 

"  Oh,  no;  don't  put  it  off,"  Mrs.  Grantham  said; 
"  we  have  only  another  fortnight  before  James  must 
be  back  again  in  London,  and  it  would  be  a  great 
pity  to  lose  three  or  four  days  perhaps;  and  we  have 
been  looking-  forward  to  cruising  about  among  the 
Channel  Islands,  and  to  St.  MalO;,  and  all  those 
places.  Oh,  no;  I  think  the  other  is  much  the  better 
plan — that  is,  if  you  won't  take  us  with  you." 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  171 

"  It  would  be  bad  manners  to  say  that  I  won't, 
Mrs.  Grantham;  but  I  must  say  I  would  rather  hot. 
It  will  be  a  very  short  separation.  Grantham  will 
take  you  on  shore  at  once,  and  as  soon  as  the  boat 
conies  back  I  shall  be  off.  You  will  start  in  the 
steamer  this  evening,  and  get  into  Jersey  at  nine  or 
ten  o'clock  to-morrow  morning;  and  if  I  am  not 
there  before  you,  I  shall  not  be  many  hours  after 
you." 

"Well,  if  it  must  be  it  must,"  Mrs.  Grantham 
said,  with  an  air  of  resignation.  "  Come,  Minnie, 
let  us  put  a  few  things  into  a  hand-bag  for  to-night. 
You  see  the  skipper  is  not  to  be  moved  by  our  plead 
ings." 

"That  is  the  worst  of  you  married  women, 
Fanny,"  Miss  Graham  said,  with  a  little  pout. 
"  You  get  into  the  way  of  doing  as  you  are  ordered. 
I  call  it  too  bad.  Here  have  we  been  cruising  about 
for  the  last  fortnight,  with  scarcely  a  breath  of 
wind,  and  longing  for  a  good  brisk  breeze  and  a 
little  change  and  excitement,  and  now  it  comes  at 
last,  we  are  to  be  packed  off  in  a  steamer.  I  call  it 
horrid  of  you,  Mr.  Virtue.  You  may  laugh,  but  I 
do." 

Tom  Virtue  laughed,  but  he  showed  no  signs  of 
giving  way,  and  ten  minutes  later  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Grantham  and  Miss  Graham  took  their  places  in  the 
gig,  and  were  rowed  into  Southampton  Harbor,  off 
which  the  Seabird  was  lying. 


172  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

The  last  fortnight  had  been  a  very  pleasant  one, 
and  it  had  cost  the  owner  of  the  Seabird  as  much  as 
his  guests  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
better  to  break  up  the  party  for  a  few  hours. 

Tom  Virtue  had,  up  to  the  age  of  five-and-twenty, 
been  possessed  of  a  sufficient  income  for  his  wants. 
He  had  entered  at  the  bar,  not  that  he  felt  any  par 
ticular  vocation  in  that  direction,  but  because  he 
thought  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  do  something. 
Then,  at  the  death  of  an  uncle,  he  had  come  into  a 
considerable  fortune,  and  was  able  to  indulge  his 
taste  for  yachting,  which  was  the  sole  amusement 
for  which  he  really  cared,  to  the  fullest. 

He  sold  the  little  five-tonner  he  had  formerly  pos 
sessed,  and  purchased  the  Seabird.  He  could  well 
have  afforded  a  much  larger  craft,  but  he  knew  that 
there  was  far  more  real  enjoyment  in  sailing  to  be 
obtained  from  a  small  craft  than  a  large  one,  for  in 
the  latter  he  would  be  obliged  to  have  a  regular 
skipper,  and  would  be  little  more  than  a  passenger, 
whereas  on  board  the  Seabird,  although  his  first 
hand  was  dignified  by  the  name  of  skipper,  he  was 
himself  the  absolute  master.  The  boat  carried  the 
aforesaid  skipper,  three  hands,  and  a  steward,  and 
with  them  he  had  twice  been  up  the  Mediterranean, 
across  to  Norway,  and  had  several  times  made  the 
circuit  of  the  British  Isles. 

He  had  unlimited  confidence  in  his  boat,  and 
cared  not  what  weather  he  was  out  in  her.  This 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  173 

was  the  first  time  since  his  ownership  of  her  that  the 
Sedbird  had  carried  lady  passengers.  His  friend 
Grantham,  an  old  school  and  college  chum,  was  a 
hard-working  barrister,  and  Virtue  had  proposed  to 
him  to  take  a  month's  holiday  on  board  the  Seabird. 

"  Put  aside  your  books,  old  man,"  he  said.  "  You 
look  fagged  and  overworked;  a  month's  blow  will  do 
you  all  the  good  in  the  world." 

"  Thank  you,  Tom;  I  have  made  up  my  mind  for 
a  month's  holiday,  but  I  can't  accept  your  invitation, 
though  I  should  enjoy  it  of  all  things.  But  it  would 
hot  be  fair  to  my  wife;  she  doesn't  get  very  much  of 
my  society,  and  she  has  been  looking  forward  to 
our  having  a  run  together.  So  I  must  decline." 

Virtue  hesitated  a  moment.  He  was  not  very 
fond  of  ladies'  society,  and  thought  them  especially 
in  the  way  on  board  a  yacht;  but  he  had  a  great  lik 
ing  for  his  friend's  wife,  and  was  almost  as  much 
at  home  in  his  house  as  in  his  own  chambers. 

"  Why  not  bring  the  wife  with  you  ?  "  he  said, 
as  soon  as  his  mind  was  made  up.  "  It  will  be  a 
nice  change  for  her  too;  and  I  have  heard  her  say 
that  she  is  a  good  sailor.  The  accommodation  is  not 
extensive,  but  the  after-cabin  is  a  pretty  good  size, 
and  I  would  do  all  I  could  to  make  her  comfortable. 
Perhaps  she  would  like  another  lady  with  her;  if  so 
by  all  means  bring  one.  They  could  have  the  after- 
cabin,  you  could  have  the  little  stateroom,  and  I 
could  sleep  in  the  saloon." 


174  THE  PATERN9STERS. 

"  It  is  very  good  of  you,  Tom,  especially  as  I 
know  that  it  will  put  you  out  frightfully;  but  the 
offer  is  a  very  tempting  one.  I  will  speak  to  Fanny, 
and  let  you  have  an  answer  in  the  morning." 

"  That  will  be  delightful,  James,"  Mrs.  Grantham 
said,  when  the  invitation  was  repeated  to  her.  "  I 
should  like  it  of  all  things;  and  I  am  sure  the  rest 
and  quiet  and  the  sea  air  will  be  just  the  thing  for 
you.  It  is  wonderful,  Tom  Virtue  making  the  offer; 
and  I  take  it  as  a  great  personal  compliment,  for  he 
certainly  is  not  what  is  generally  called  a  lady's  man. 
It  is  very  nice,  too,  of  him  to  think  of  my  having  an 
other  lady  on  board.  Whom  shall  we  ask  ?  Oh,  I 
know,"  she  said  suddenly;  "  that  will  be  the  thing  of 
all  others.  We  will  ask  my  cousin  Minnie;  she  is 
full  of  fun  and  life,  and  will  make  a  charming  wife 
for  Tom!" 

James  Grantham  laughed. 

"  What  schemers  you  all  are,  Fanny !  Now  I 
should  call  it  downright  treachery  to  take  anyone  on 
board  the  Seabird  with  the  idea  of  capturing  its 
master." 

"  Nonsense,  treachery !  "  Mrs.  Grantham  said  in 
dignantly;  "  Minnie  is  the  nicest  girl  I  know,  and  it 
would  do  Tom  a  world  of  good  to  have  a  wife  to 
look  after  him.  Why,  he  is  thirty  now,  and  will  be 
settling  down  into  a  confirmed  old  bachelor  before 
long.  It's  the  greatest  kindness  we  could  do  him, 
to  take  Minnie  on  board;  and  I  am  sure  he  is  the 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  175 

sort  of  man  any  girl  might  fall  in  love  with  when 
she  gets  to  know  him.  The  fact  is,  he's  shy!  He 
never  had  any  sisters,  and  spends  all  his  time  in  win 
ter  at  that  horrid  club;  so  that  really  he  has  never 
had  any  women's  society,  and  even  with  us  he  will 
never  come  unless  he  knows  we  are  alone.  I  call  it 
a  great  pity,  for  I  don't  know  a  pleasanter  fellow 
than  he  is.  I  think  it  will  be  doing  him  a  real  serv 
ice  in  asking  Minnie;  so  that's  settled.  I  will  sit 
down  and  write  him  a  note." 

"  In  for  a  penny,  in  for  a  pound,  I  suppose,"  was 
Tom  Virtue's  comment  when  he  received  Mrs. 
Grantham's  letter,  thanking  him  warmly  for  the  in 
vitation,  and  saying  that  she  would  bring  her  cousin, 
Miss  Graham,  with  her,  if  that  young  lady  was  dis 
engaged. 

As  a  matter  of  self-defense  he  at  once  invited 
Jack  Harvey,  who  was  a  mutual  friend  of  himself 
and  Grantham,  to  be  of  the  party. 

"  Jack  can  help  Grantham  to  amuse  the  women," 
he  said  to  himself;  "that  will  be  more  in  his  line 
than  mine.  I  will  run  down  to  Cowes  to-morrow 
and  have  a  chat  with  Johnson ;  we  shall  want  a  differ 
ent  sort  of  stores  altogether  from  those  we  generally 
carry,  and  I  suppose  we  must  do  her  up  a  bit 
below." 

Having  made  up  his  mind  to  the  infliction  of  fe 
male  passengers,  Tom  Virtue  did  it  handsomely,  and 
when  the  party  came  oh  board  at  Ryde  they  were 


Ij6  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

delighted  with  the  aspect  of  the  yacht  below.  She 
had  been  repainted,  the  saloon  and  ladies'  cabin  were 
decorated  in  delicate  shades  of  gray,  picked  out  with 
gold;  and  the  upholsterer,  into  whose  hands  the 
owner  of  the  Sedbird  had  placed  her,  had  done  his 
work  with  taste  and  judgment,  and  the  ladies'  cabin 
resembled  a  little  boudoir. 

"  Why,  Tom,  I  should  have  hardly  known  her !  " 
Grantham,  who  had  often  spent  a  day  on  board  the 
Sedbird,  said. 

"  I  hardly  know  her  myself,"  Tom  said,  rather 
ruefully;  "  but  I  hope  she's  all  right,  Mrs.  Grantham, 
and  that  you  and  Miss  Graham  will  find  everything 
you  want." 

"  It  is  charming ! "  Mrs.  Grantham  said  enthu 
siastically.  "  It's  awfully  good  of  you,  Tom,  and 
we  appreciate  it;  don't  we,  Minnie?  It  is  such  a 
surprise,  too;  for  James  said  that  while  I  should  find 
everything  very  comfortable,  I  must  not  expect  that 
a  small  yacht  would  be  got  up  like  a  palace." 

So  a  fortnight  had  passed ;  they  had  cruised  along 
the  coast  as  far  as  Plymouth,  anchoring  at  night  at 
the  various  ports  on  the  way.  Then  they  had  re 
turned  to  Southampton,  and  it  had  been  settled  that 
as  none  of  the  party,  with  the  exception  of  Virtue 
himself,  had  been  to  the  Channel  Islands,  the  last 
fortnight  of  the  trip  should  be  spent  there.  The 
weather  had  been  delightful,  save  that  there  had 
been  some  deficiency  in  wind,  and  throughout  the 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  177 

cruise  the  Seabird  had  been  under  all  the  sail  she 
could  spread.  But  when  the  gentlemen  came  on 
deck  early  in  the  morning  a  considerable  change  had 
taken  place;  the  sky  was  gray  and  the  clouds  flying 
fast  overhead. 

"  We  are  going  to  have  dirty  weather,"  Tom  Vir 
tue  said  at  once.  "  I  don't  think  it's  going  to  be  a 
gale,  but  there  will  be  more  sea  on  than  will  be  pleas 
ant  for  ladies.  I  tell  you  what,  Grantham ;  the  best 
thing  will  be  for  you  to  go  on  shore  with  the  two 
ladies,  and  cross  by  the  boat  to-night.  If  you  don't 
mind  going  directly  after  breakfast  I  will  start  at 
once,  and  shall  be  at  St.  Helier's  as  soon  as  you  are." 

And  so  it  had  been  agreed,  but  not,  as  has  been 
seen,  without  opposition  and  protest  on  the  part  of 
the  ladies. 

Mrs.  Grantham's  chief  reason  for  objecting  had 
not  been  given.  The  little  scheme  on  which  she  had 
set  her  mind  seemed  to  be  working  satisfactorily. 
From  the  first  day  Tom  Virtue  had  exerted  himself 
to  play  the  part  of  host  satisfactorily,  and  had  ere 
long  shaken  off  any  shyness  he  may  have  felt  to 
wards  the  one  stranger  of  the  party,  and  he  and  Miss 
Graham  had  speedily  got  on  friendly  terms.  So 
things  were  going  on  as  well  as  Mrs.  Grantham 
could  have  expected. 

No  sooner  had  his  guests  left  the  side  of  the  yacht 
than  her  owner  began  to  make  his  preparations  for 
a  start. 


178  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  weather,  Watkins?  " 
he  asked  his  skipper. 

"  It's  going  to  blow  hard,  sir;  that's  my  view  of 
it,  and  if  I  was  you  I  shouldn't  up  anchor  to-day. 
Still,  it's  just  as  you  likes;  the  Seabird  won't  mind 
it  if  we  don't.  She  has  had  a  rough  time  of  it  be 
fore  now;  still,  it  will  be  a  case  of  wet  jackets,  and 
no  mistake." 

"  Yes,  I  expect  we  shall  have  a  rough  time  of  it, 
Watkins,  but  I  want  to  get  across.  We  don't  often 
let  ourselves  be  weather-bound,  and  I  am  not  going 
to  begin  it  to-day.  We  had  better  house  the  top 
mast  at  once,  and  get  two  reefs  in  the  mainsail.  We 
can  get  the  other  down  when  we  get  clear  of  the 
island.  Get  number  three  jib  up,  and  the  leg-of- 
mutton  mizzen;  put  two  reefs  in  the  foresail." 

Tom  and  his  friend  Harvey,  who  was  a  good 
sailor,  assisted  the  crew  in  reefing  down  the  sails, 
and  a  few  minutes  after  the  gig  had  returned  and 
been  hoisted  in,  the  yawl  was  running  rapidly  down 
Southampton  waters. 

"  We  need  hardly  have  reefed  quite  so  closely," 
Jack  Harvey  said,  as  he  puffed  away  at  his  pipe. 

"  Not  yet,  Jack;  but  you  will  see  she  has  as  much 
as  she  can  carry  before  long.  It's  all  the  better  to 
make  all  snug  before  starting;  it  saves  a  lot  of 
trouble  afterwards,  and  the  extra  canvas  would  not 
have  made  ten  minutes'  difference  to  us  at  the  out 
side.  We  shall  have  pretty  nearly  a  dead  beat  down 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  179 

the  Solent.  Fortunately  the  tide  will  be  running 
strong  with  us,  but  there  will  be  a  nasty  kick-up 
there.  You  will  see  we  shall  feel  the  short  choppy 
seas  there  more  than  we  shall  when  we  get  outside. 
She  is  a  grand  boat  in  a  really  heavy  sea,  but  in  short 
waves  she  puts  her  nose  into  it  with  a  will.  Now,  if 
you  will  take  my  advice,  you  will  do  as  I  am  going  to 
do;  put  on  a  pair  of  fisherman's  boots  and  oilskin  and 
sou'-wester.  There  are  several  sets  for  you  to 
choose  from  below." 

As  her  owner  had  predicted,  the  Sedbird  put  her 
bowsprit  under  pretty  frequently  in  the  Solent;  the 
wind  was  blowing  half  a  gale,  and  as  it  met  the  tide 
it  knocked  up  a  short,  angry  sea,  crested  with  white 
heads,  and  Jack  Harvey  agreed  that  she  had  quite  as 
much  sail  on  her  as  she  wanted.  The  cabin  doors 
were  bolted,  and  all  made  snug  to  prevent  the  water 
getting  below  before  they  got  to  the  race  off  Hurst 
Castle ;  and  it  was  well  that  they  did  so,  for  she  was 
as  much  under  water  as  she  was  above. 

"  I  think  if  I  had  given  way  to  the  ladies  and 
brought  them  with  us  they  would  have  changed  their 
minds  by  this  time,  Jack,"  Tom  Virtue  said,  with  a 
laugh. 

"I  should  think  so,"  his  friend  agreed;  "this  is 
hot  a  day  for  a  fair-weather  sailor.  Look  what  a 
sea  is  breaking  on  the  shingles!  " 

"  Yes,  five  minutes  there  would  knock  her  into 
matchwood.  Another  ten  minutes  and  we  shall  be 


i8o  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

fairly  out;  and  I  shan't  be  sorry;  one  feels  as  if  one 
was  playing  football,  only  just  at  present  the  Sea- 
bird  is  the  ball  and  the  waves  the  kickers." 

Another  quarter  of  an  hour  and  they  had  passed 
the  Needles. 

:<  That  is  more  pleasant,  Jack,"  as  the  short, 
chopping  motion  was  exchanged  for  a  regular  rise 
and  fall;  "  this  is  what  I  enjoy — a  steady  wind  and 
a  regular  sea.  The  Seabird  goes  over  it  like  one  of 
her  namesakes;  she  is  not  taking  a  teacupful  now 
over  her  bows. 

"  Watkins,  you  may  as  well  take  the  helm  for  a 
spell,  while  we  go  down  to  lunch.  I  am  not  sorry 
to  give  it  up  for  a  bit,  for  it  has  been  jerking  like  the 
kick  of  a  horse. 

"  That's  right,  Jack,  hang  up  your  oilskin  there. 
Johnson,  give  us  a  couple  of  towels;  we  have  been 
pretty  well  smothered  up  there  on  deck.  Now  what 
have  you  got  for  us  ?  " 

"  There  is  some  soup  ready,  sir,  and  that  cold  pie 
you  had  for  dinner  yesterday." 

"  That  will  do;  open  a  couple  of  bottles  of 
stout." 

Lunch  over,  they  went  on  deck  again. 

"  She  likes  a  good  blow  as  well  as  we  do,"  Virtue 
said  enthusiastically,  as  the  yawl  rose  lightly  over 
each  wave.  "  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Watkins  ? 
Is  the  wind  going  to  lull  a  bit  as  the  sun  goes 
down?" 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  181 

"  I  think  not,  sir.  It  seems  to  me  it's  blowing 
harder  than  it  was." 

"  Then  we  will  prepare  for  the  worst,  Watkins; 
get  the  try-sail  up  on  deck.  When  you  are  ready 
we  will  bring  her  up  into  the  wind  and  set  it.  That's 
the  comfort  of  a  yawl,  Jack;  one  can  always  lie  to 
without  any  bother,  and  one  hasn't  got  such  a  tre 
mendous  boom  to  handle." 

The  try-sail  was  soon  on  deck,  and  then  the  Sea- 
bird  was  brought  up  into  the  wind,  the  weather  fore- 
sheet  hauled  aft,  the  mizzen  sheeted  almost  fore 
and  aft,  and  the  Seabird  lay,  head  to  wind,  rising 
and  falling  with  a  gentle  motion,  in  strong  contrast 
to  her  impetuous  rushes  when  under  sail. 

"  She  would  ride  out  anything  like  that,"  her 
owner  said.  "  Last  time  we  came  through  the  Bay 
on  our  way  from  Gib.  we  were  caught  in  a  gale 
strong  enough  to  blow  the  hair  off  one's  head,  and 
we  lay  to  for  nearly  three  days,  and  didn't  ship  a 
bucket  of  water  all  the  time.  Now  let  us  lend  a 
hand  to  get  the  mainsail  stowed." 

Ten  minutes'  work  and  it  was  securely  fastened 
and  its  cover  on;  two  reefs  were  put  in  the  try-sail. 
Two  hands  went  to  each  of  the  halliards,  while,  as 
the  sail  rose,  Tom  Virtue  fastened  the  toggles  round 
the  mast. 

"All  ready,  Watkins?" 

"  All  ready,  sir." 

"  Slack  off  the  weather  fore-sheet,  then,  and  haul 


182  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

aft  the  leeward.  Slack  out  the  mizzen-sheet  a  little, 
Jack.  That's  it;  now  she's  off  again,  like  a 
duck." 

The  Seabird  felt  the  relief  from  the  pressure  of 
the  heavy  boom  to  leeward  and  rose  easily  and 
lightly  over  the  waves. 

"  She  certainly  is  a  splendid  seaboat,  Tom;  I  don't 
wonder  you  are  ready  to  go  anywhere  in  her.  I 
thought  we  were  rather  fools  for  starting  this  morn 
ing,  although  I  enjoy  a  good  blow;  but  now  I  don't 
care  how  hard  it  comes  on." 

By  night  it  was  blowing  a  downright  gale. 

"  We  will  lie  to  till  morning,  Watkins.  So  that 
we  get  in  by  daylight  to-morrow  evening,  that  is  all 
we  want.  See  our  side-lights  are  burning  well,  and 
you  had  better  get  up  a  couple  of  blue  lights,  in  case 
anything  comes  running  up  Channel  and  don't  see 
our  lights.  We  had  better  divide  into  two  watches; 
I  will  keep  one  with  Matthews  and  Dawson,  Mr. 
Harvey  will  go  in  your  watch  with  Nicholls.  We 
had  better  get  the  try-sail  down  altogether,  and  lie 
to  under  the  foresail  and  mizzen,  but  don't  put  many 
lashings  on  the  try-sail,  one  will  be  enough,  and  have 
it  ready  to  cast  off  in  a  moment,  in  case  we  want  to 
hoist  the  sail  in  a  hurry.  I  will  go  down  and  have 
a  glass  of  hot  grog  first,  and  then  I  will  take  my 
watch  to  begin  with.  Let  the  two  hands  with  me 
go  down;  the  steward  will  serve  them  out  a  tot  each. 
Jack,  you  had  better  turn  in  at  once." 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  183 

Virtue  was  soon  on  deck  again,  muffled  up  in  his 
oilskins. 

"  Now,  Watkins,  you  can  go  below  and  turn  in." 

"  I  shan't  go  below  to-night,  sir — not  to  lie  down. 
There's  nothing  much  to  do  here,  but  I  couldn't 
sleep,  if  I  did  lie  down." 

"  Very  well ;  you  had  better  go  below  and  get  a 
glass  of  grog;  tell  the  steward  to  give  you  a  big  pipe 
with  a  cover  like  this,  out  of  the  locker;  and  there's 
plenty  of  chewing  tobacco,  if  the  men  are  short." 

"  I  will  take  that  instead  of  a  pipe,"  Watkins  said; 
"  there's  nothing  like  a  quid  in  weather  like  this,  it 
aint  never  in  your  way,  and  it  lasts.  Even  with  a 
cover  a  pipe  would  soon  be  out." 

"  Please  yourself,  Watkins;  tell  the  two  hands  for 
ward  to  keep  a  bright  lookout  for  lights." 

The  night  passed  slowly.  Occasionally  a  sea 
heavier  than  usual  came  on  board,  curling  over  the 
bow  and  falling  with  a  heavy  thud  on  the  deck,  but 
for  the  most  part  the  Seabird  breasted  the  waves 
easily;  the  bowsprit  had  been  reefed  in  to  its  fullest, 
thereby  adding  to  the  lightness  and  buoyancy  of  the 
boat.  Tom  Virtue  did  not  go  below  when  his  friend 
came  up  to  relieve  him  at  the  change  of  watch,  but 
sat  smoking  and  doing  much  talking  in  the  short 
intervals  between  the  gusts. 

The  morning  broke  gray  and  misty,  driving  sleet 
came  along  on  the  wind,  and  the  horizon  was  closed 
in  as  by  a  dull  curtain. 


134  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

"  How  far  can  we  see,  do  you  think,  Watkins  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  a  couple  of  miles,  sir." 

"  That  will  be  enough.  I  think  we  both  know 
the  position  of  every  reef  to  within  a  hundred  yards, 
so  we  will  shape  our  course  for  Guernsey.  If  we 
happen  to  hit  it  off,  we  can  hold  on  to  St.  Helier,  but 
if  when  we  think  we  ought  to  be  within  sight  of 
Guernsey  we  see  nothing  of  it,  we  must  lie  to  again, 
till  the  storm  has  blown  itself  out  or  the  clouds  lift. 
It  would  never  do  to  go  groping  our  way  along  with 
such  currents  as  run  among  the  islands.  Put  the 
last  reef  in  the  try-sail  before  you  hoist  it.  I  think 
you  had  better  get  the  foresail  down  altogether,  and 
run  up  the  spit-fire  jib." 

The  Seabird  was  soon  under  way  again. 

"  Now,  Watkins,  you  take  the  helm ;  we  will  go 
down  and  have  a  cup  of  hot  coffee,  and  I  will  see 
that  the  steward  has  a  good  supply  for  vou  and  the 
hands;  but  first,  do  you  take  the  helm,  Jack,  whilst 
Watkins  and  I  have  a  look  at  the  chart,  and  try  and 
work  out  where  we  are,  and  the  course  we  had  better 
lie  for  Guernsey." 

Five  minutes  were  spent  over  the  chart,  then 
Watkins  went  above  and  Jack  Harvey  came 
below. 

"  /ou  have  got  the  coffee  ready,  I  hope,  John- 
soil?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  coffee  and  chocolate.  I  didn't  know 
which  you  would  like." 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  185 

"  Chocolate,  by  all  means.  Jack,  I  recommend 
the  chocolate.  Bring  two  full-sized  bowls,  Johnson, 
and  put  that  cold  pie  on  the  table,  and  a  couple  of 
knives  and  forks;  never  mind  about  a  cloth;  but  first 
of  all  bring  a  couple  of  basins  of  hot  water,  we  shall 
enjoy  our  food  more  after  a  wash." 

The  early  breakfast  was  eaten,  dry  coats  and 
mufflers  put  on,  pipes  lighted,  and  they  then  went 
up  upon  deck.  Tom  took  the  helm. 

"  What  time  do  you  calculate  we  ought  to  make 
Guernsey,  Tom  ?  " 

"  About  twelve.  The  wind  is  freer  than  it  was, 
and  we  are  walking  along  at  a  good  pace.  Mat 
thews,  cast  the  log,  and  let's  see  what  we  are  doing. 
About  seven  knots,  I  should  say." 

"  Seven  and  a  quarter,  sir,"  the  man  said,  when 
he  checked  the  line. 

"  Not  a  bad  guess,  Tom;  it's  always  difficult  to 
judge  pace  in  a  heavy  sea." 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  mist  ceased. 

"That's  fortunate,"  Tom  Virtue  said;  "I 
shouldn't  be  surprised  if  we  get  a  glimpse  of  the  sun 
between  the  clouds  presently.  Will  you  get  my 
sextant  and  the  chronometer  up,  Jack,  and  put  them 
handy?" 

Jack  Harvey  did  as  he  was  asked,  but  there  was 
no  occasion  to  use  the  instruments,  for  ten  minutes 
later,  Watkins,  who  was  standing  near  the  bow  gaz 
ing  fixedly  ahead,  shouted: 


1 86  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

"  There's  Guernsey,  sir,  on  her  lee  bow,  about  six 
miles  away,  I  should  say." 

"  That's  it,  sure  enough,"  Tom  agreed,  as  he 
gazed  in  the  direction  in  which  Watkins  was  point 
ing.  "  There's  a  gleam  of  sunshine  on  it,  or  we 
shouldn't  have  seen  it  yet.  Yes,  I  think  you  are 
about  right  as  to  the  distance.  Now  let  us  take  its 
bearings,  we  may  lose  it  again  directly." 

Having  taken  the  bearings  of  the  island  they  went 
below,  and  marked  off  their  position  on  the  chart, 
and  they  shaped  their  course  for  Cape  Grosnez,  the 
northwestern  point  of  Jersey.  The  gleam  of  sun 
shine  was  transient — the  clouds  closed  in  again  over 
head,  darker  and  grayer  than  before.  Soon  the 
drops  of  rain  came  flying  before  the  wind,  the  hori 
zon  closed  in,  and  they  could  not  see  half  a  mile 
away,  but,  though  the  sea  was  heavy,  the  Seabird 
was  making  capital  weather  of  it,  and  the  two 
friends  agreed  that,  after  all,  the  excitement  of  a  sail 
like  this  was  worth  a  month  of  pottering  about  in 
calms. 

"  We  must  keep  a  bright  lookout  presently,"  the 
skipper  said;  "  there  are  some  nasty  rocks  off  the 
coast  of  Jersey.  We  must  give  them  a  wide  berth. 
We  had  best  make  round  to  the  south  of  the  island, 
and  lay  to  there  till  we  can  pick  up  a  pilot  to  take  us 
into  St.  Helier.  I  don't  think  it  will  be  worth  while 
trying  to  get  into  St.  Aubyn's  Bay  by  ourselves." 

"  I  think  so,  too,  Watkins,  but  we  will  see  what  it 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  187 

is  like  before  it  gets  dark;  if  we  can  pick  up  a  pilot 
all  the  better;  if  not,  we  will  lie  to  till  morning,  if 
the  weather  keeps  thick;  but  if  it  clears  so  that  we 
can  make  out  all  the  lights  we  ought  to  be  able  to  get 
into  the  bay  anyhow." 

An  hour  later  the  rain  ceased  and  the  sky  appeared 
somewhat  clearer.  Suddenly  Watkins  exclaimed, 
"  There  is  a  wreck,  sir!  There,  three  miles  away  to 
leeward.  She  is  on  the  Paternosters." 

"  Good  Heavens !  she  is  a  steamer,"  Tom  ex 
claimed,  as  he  caught  sight  of  her  the  next  time  the 
Seabird  lifted  on  a  wave.  "  Can  she  be  the  South 
ampton  boat,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  Like  enough,  sir,  she  may  have  had  it  thicker 
than  we  had,  and  may  not  have  calculated  enough 
for  the  current." 

"  Up  helm,  Jack,  and  bear  away  towards  her. 
Shall  we  shake  out  a  reef,  Watkins?  " 

"  I  wouldn't,  sir;  she  has  got  as  much  as  she  can 
carry  on  her  now.  We  must  mind  what  we  are 
doing,  sir;  the  currents  run  like  a  millstream,  and 
if  we  get  that  reef  under  our  lee,  and  the  wind  and 
current  both  setting  us  on  to  it,  it  will  be  all  up  with 
us  in  no  time." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that,  Watkins.  Jack,  take  the  helm 
a  minute  while  we  run  down  and  look  at  the 
chart. 

•3*  Our  only  chance,  Watkins,  is  to  work  up  behind 
th*  reef,  and  try  and  get  so  that  they  can  either 


188  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

fasten  a  line  to  a  buoy  and  let  it  float  down  to  us,  or 
get  into  a  boat,  if  they  have  one  left,  and  drift  to  us." 

"They  are  an  awful  group  of  rocks,"  Watkins 
said,  as  they  examined  the  chart;  "  you  see  some  of 
them  show  merely  at  high  tide,  and  a  lot  of  them 
are  above  at  low  water.  It  will  be  an  awful  busi 
ness  to  get  among  them  rocks,  sir,  just  about  as  near 
certain  death  as  a  thing  can  be." 

"  Well,  it's  got  to  be  done,  Watkins,"  Tom  said 
firmly.  "  I  see  the  danger  as  well  as  you  do,  but 
whatever  the  risk  it  must  be  tried.  Mr.  Grantham 
and  the  two  ladies  went  on  board  by  my  persuasion, 
and  I  should  never  forgive  myself  if  anything  hap 
pened  to  them.  But  I  will  speak  to  the  men." 

He  went  on  deck  again  and  called  the  men  to  him. 
"Look  here,  lads;  you  see  that  steamer  ashore  on 
the  Paternosters.  In  such  a  sea  as  this  she  may  go 
to  pieces  in  half  an  hour.  I  am  determined  to  make 
an  effort  to  save  the  lives  of  those  on  board.  As 
you  can  see  for  yourselves  there  is  no  lying  to 
weather  of  her,  with  the  current  and  wind  driving 
us  on  to  the  reef;  we  must  beat  up  from  behind. 
Now,  lads,  the  sea  there  is  full  of  rocks,  and  the 
chances  are  ten  to  one  we  strike  on  to  them  and  go 
to  pieces;  but,  anyhow,  I  am  going  to  try;  but  I 
won't  take  you  unless  you  are  willing.  The  boat  is 
a  good  one,  and  the  zinc  chambers  will  keep  her 
afloat  if  she  fills;  well  managed,  you  ought  to  be  able 
to  make  the  coast  of  Jersey  in  her.  Mr.  Harvey, 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  189 

Watkins,  and  I  can  handle  the  yacht,  so  you  can 
take  the  boat  if  you  like." 

The  men  replied  that  they  would  stick  to  the  yacht 
wherever  Mr.  Virtue  chose  to  take  her,  and  mut 
tered  something  about  the  ladies,  for  the  pleasant 
faces  of  Mrs.  Grantham  and  Miss  Graham  had,  dur 
ing  the  fortnight  they  had  been  on  board,  won  the 
men's  hearts. 

"  Very  well,  lads,  I  am  glad  to  find  you  will  stick 
by  me;  if  we  pull  safely  through  it  I  will  give 
each  of  you  three  months'  wages.  Now  set  to  work 
with  a  will  and  get  the  gig  out.  We  will  tow  her 
after  us,  and  take  to  her  if  we  make  a  smash 
of  it." 

They  were  now  near  enough  to  see  the  white 
breakers,  in  the  middle  of  which  the  ship  was  lying. 
She  was  fast  breaking  up.  The  jagged  outline 
showed  that  the  stern  had  been  beaten  in.  The 
masts  and  funnel  were  gone,  and  the  waves  seemed 
to  make  a  clean  breach  over  her,  almost  hiding  her 
from  sight  in  a  white  cloud  of  spray. 

"  Wood  and  iron  can't  stand  that  much  longer,'* 
Jack  Harvey  said;  "  another  hour  and  I  should  say 
there  won't  be  two  planks  left  together." 

"  It  is  awful,  Jack;  I  would  give  all  I  have  in  the 
world  if  I  had  not  persuaded  them  to  go  on  board. 
Keep  her  off  a  little  more,  Watkins." 

The  Sedbird  passed  within  a  cable' s-length  of  the 
breakers  at  the  northern  end  of  the  reef. 


igo  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

"  Now,  lads,  take  your  places  at  the  sheets,  ready 
to  haul  or  let  go  as  I  give  the  word."  So  saying, 
Tom  Virtue  took  his  place  in  the  bow,  holding  on 
by  the  forestay. 

The  wind  was  full  on  the  Sedbird's  beam  as  she 
entered  the  broken  water.  Here  and  there  the  dark 
Pleads  of  the  rocks  showed  above  the  water.  These 
were  easy  enough  to  avoid,  the  danger  lay  in  those 
hidden  beneath  its  surface,  and  whose  position  was 
indicated  only  by  the  occasional  break  of  a  sea  as  it 
passed  over  them.  Every  time  the  Seabird  sank  on 
a  wave  those  on  board  involuntarily  held  their 
breath,  but  the  water  here  was  comparatively 
smooth,  the  sea  having  spent  its  first  force  upon  the 
outer  reef.  With  a  wave  of  his  hand  Tom  directed 
the  helmsman  as  to  his  course,  and  the  little  yacht 
was  admirably  handled  through  the  dangers. 

"  I  begin  to  think  we  shall  do  it,"  Tom  said  to 
Jack  Harvey,  who  was  standing  close  to  him. 
"  Another  five  minutes  and  we  shall  be  within  reach 
of  her." 

It  could  be  seen  now  that  there  was  a  group  of 
people  clustered  in  the  bow  of  the  wreck.  Two  or 
three  light  lines  were  coiled  in  readiness  for  throw 
ing. 

"  Now,  Watkins,"  Tom  said,  going  aft,  "  make 
straight  for  the  wreck.  I  see  no  broken  water  be 
tween  us  and  them,  and  possibly  there  may  be  deep 
water  under  their  bow." 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  191 

It  was  an  anxious  moment,  as,  with  the  sails  flat 
tened  in,  the  yawl  forged  up  nearly  in  the  eye  of  the 
wind  towards  the  wreck.  Her  progress  was  slow, 
for  she  was  now  stemming  the  current. 

Tom  stood  with  a  coil  of  line  in  his  hand  in  the 
bow. 

"  You  get  ready  to  throw,  Jack,  if  I  miss." 

Nearer  and  nearer  the  yacht  approached  the 
wreck,  until  the  bowsprit  of  the  latter  seemed  to 
stand  almost  over  her.  Then  Tom  threw  the  line. 
It  fell  over  the  bowsprit,  and  a  cheer  broke  from 
those  on  board  the  wreck  and  from  the  sailors  of  the 
Seabird.  A  stronger  line  was  at  once  fastened  to 
that  thrown,  and  to  this  a  strong  hawser  was  at 
tached. 

"  Down  with  the  helm,  Watkins.  Now,  lads, 
lower  away  .he  try-sail  as  fast  as  you  can.  Now, 
one  of  you,  clear  that  hawser  as  they  haul  on  it, 
Now  out  with  the  anchors." 

These  had  been  got  into  readiness;  it  was  not 
thought  that  they  would  get  any  hold  on  the  rocky 
bottom,  still  they  might  catch  on  a  projecting  ledge, 
and  at  any  rate  their  weight  and  that  of  the  chrJc 
cable  would  relieve  the  strain  upon  the  hawser. 

Two  sailors  had  run  out  on  the  bowsprit  of  the 
wreck  as  soon  as  the  line  was  thrown,  and  the  end  o£ 
the  hawser  was  now  OH  board  the  steamer. 

"Thank  God,  there's  Grantham!"  Jack  Ham-j 
exclaimed;  "  do  you  see  him  waving  Jiis  hand?  "      tf 


192  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

"  I  see  him,"  Tom  said,  "  but  I  don't  see  the 
ladies." 

'  They  are  there,  no  doubt,"  Jack  said  confidently; 
"  crouching  down,  I  expect.  He  would  not  be  there 
if  they  weren't,  you  may  be  sure.  Yes,  there  they 
are;  those  two  muffled-up  figures.  There,  one  of 
them  has  thrown  back  her  cloak  and  is  waving  her 
arm." 

The  two  young  men  waved  their  caps. 

"Are  the  anchors  holding,  Watkins?  There's  a 
tremendous  strain  on  that  hawser." 

"  I  think  so,  sir;  they  are  both  tight." 

"  Put  them  round  the  windlass,  and  give  a  turn  or 
two,  we  must  relieve  the  strain  on  that  hawser." 

Since  they  had  first  seen  the  wreck  the  waves  had 
made  great  progress  in  the  work  of  destruction,  and 
the  steamer  had  broken  in  two  just  aft  of  the  engines. 

"  Get  over  the  spare  spars,  Watkins,  and  fasten 
them  to  float  in  front  of  her  bows  like  a  triangle. 
Matthews,  catch  hold  of  that  boat-hook  and  try  to 
fend  off  any  piece  of  timber  that  comes  along.  You 
get  hold  of  the  sweeps,  lads,  and  do  the  same.  They 
would  stave  her  in  like  a  nutshell  if  they  struck  her." 

"  Thank  God,  here  comes  the  first  of  them !  " 

Those  on  board  the  steamer  had  not  been  idle. 
As  soon  as  the  yawl  was  seen  approaching  slings 
were  prepared,  and  no  sooner  was  the  hawser  se 
curely  fixed,  than  the  slings  were  attached  to  it  and 
a  woman  placed  in  them.  The  hawser  was  tight 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  193 

and  the  descent  sharp,  and  without  a  check  the  figure 
ran  down  to  the  deck  of  the  Seabird.  She  was  lifted 
out  of  the  slings  by  Tom  and  Jack  Harvey,  who 
found  she  was  an  old  woman  and  had  entirely  lost 
consciousness. 

"  Two  of  you  carry  her  down  below;  tell  Johnson 
to  pour  a  little  brandy  down  her  throat.  Give  her 
some  hot  soup  as  soon  as  she  comes  to." 

Another  woman  was  lowered  and  helped  below. 
The  next  to  descend  was  Mrs.  Grantham. 

"  Thank  God,  you  are  rescued !  "  Tom  said,  as  he 
helped  her  out  of  the  sling. 

"  Thank  God,  indeed,"  Mrs.  Grantham  said,  "  and 
thank  you  all!  Oh,  Tom,  we  have  had  a  terrible 
time  of  it,  and  had  lost  all  hope  till  we  saw  your  sail, 
and  even  then  the  captain  said  that  he  was  afraid 
nothing  could  be  done.  Minnie  was  the  first  to 
make  out  it  was  you,  and  then  we  began  to  hope 
She  has  been  so  brave,  dear  girl.  Ah!  here  she 
comes." 

But  Minnie's  firmness  came  to  an  end  now  that 
she  felt  the  need  for  it  was  over.  She  was  unable  to 
stand  when  she  was  lifted  from  the  slings,  and  Tom 
carried  her  below. 

"Are  there  any  more  women,  Mrs.  Grantham  ?  " 

"  No;  there  was  only  one  other  lady  passenger 
and  the  stewardess." 

"  Then  you  had  better  take  possession  of  your  own 
cabin.  I  ordered  Johnson  to  spread  a  couple  more 


1 94  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

mattresses  and  some  bedding  on  the  floor,  so  you 
will  all  four  be  able  to  turn  in.  There's  plenty  of 
hot  coffee  and  soup.  I  should  advise  soup  with  two 
or  three  spoonfuls  of  brandy  in  it.  Now,  excuse  me; 
I  must  go  upon  deck." 

Twelve  men  descended  by  the  hawser,  one  of  them 
with  both  legs  broken  by  the  fall  of  the  mizzen. 
The  last  to  come  was  the  captain. 

"Is  that  all?  "Tom  asked. 

"  That  is  all,"  the  captain  said.  "  Six  men  were 
swept  overboard  when  she  first  struck,  and  two  were 
killed  by  the  fall  of  the  funnel.  Fortunately  we  had 
only  three  gentlemen  passengers  and  three  ladies  on 
board.  The  weather  looked  so  wild  when  we  started 
that  no  one  else  cared  about  making  the  passage. 
God  bless  you,  sir,  for  what  you  have  done!  An 
other  half-hour  and  it  would  have  been  all  over  with 
us.  But  it  seems  like  a  miracle  your  getting  safe 
through  the  rocks  to  us." 

"  It  was  fortunate  indeed  that  we  came  along," 
Tom  said;  "  three  of  the  passengers  are  dear  friends 
of  mine;  and  as  it  was  by  my  persuasion  that  they 
came  across  in  the  steamer  instead  of  in  the  yacht, 
I  should  never  have  forgiven  myself  if  they  had  been 
lost.  Take  all  your  men  below,  captain;  you  will 
find  plenty  of  hot  soup  there.  Now,  Watkins,  let 
us  be  off;  that  steamer  won't  hold  together  many 
minutes  longer,  so  there's  no  time  to  lose.  We  will 
go  back  as  we  came.  Give  me  a  hatchet.  Now, 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  195 

lads,  two  of  you  stand  at  the  chain-cables;  knock  out 
the  shackles  the  moment  I  cut  the  hawser.  Wat' 
kins,  you  take  the  helm  and  let  her  head  pay  off  till 
the  jib  fills.  Jack,  you  lend  a  hand  to  the  other  two, 
and  get  up  the  try-sail  again  as  soon  as  we  are 
free." 

In  a  moment  all  were  at  their  stations.  The  helm 
was  put  on  the  yacht,  and  she  payed  off  on  the  oppo 
site  tack  to  that  on  which  she  had  before  been  sailing. 
As  soon  as  the  jib  filled,  Tom  gave  two  vigorous 
blows  with  his  hatchet  on  the  hawser,  and,  as  he 
lifted  his  hand  fcr  a  third,  it  parted.  Then  came 
the  sharp  rattle  of  the  chains  as  they  ran  round  the 
hawser-holes.  The  try-sail  was  hoisted  and  sheeted 
home,  and  the  Seabird  was  under  way  again.  Tom, 
as  before,  conned  the  ship  from  the  bow.  Several 
times  she  was  in  close  proximity  to  the  rocks,  but 
each  time  she  avoided  them.  A  shout  of  gladness 
rose  from  all  on  deck  as  she  passed  the  last  patch  of 
white  water.  Then  she  tacked  and  bore  away  for 
Jersey. 

Tom  had  now  time  to  go  down  below  and  look 
after  his  passengers.  They  consisted  of  the  captain 
and  two  sailors — the  sole  survivors  of  those  who  had 
been  on  deck  when  the  vessel  struck — three  male 
passengers,  and  six  engineers  and  stokers. 

"  I  have  not  had  time  to  shake  you  by  the  hand 
before,  Tom,"  Grantham  said,  as  Tom  Virtue  en 
tered;  "  and  I  thought  you  would  not  want  me  on 


196  THE  PATERNOSTERS. 

deck  at  present.  God  bless  you,  old  fellow !  we  all 
owe  you  our  lives." 

"  How  did  it  happen,  captain  ?  "  Tom  asked,  a* 
the  captain  also  came  up  to  him. 

"  It  was  the  currents,  I  suppose,"  the  captain  said; 
"  it  was  so  thick  we  could  not  see  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
any  way.  The  weather  was  so  wild  I  would  not  put 
into  Guernsey,  and  passed  the  island  without  seeing 
it.  I  steered  my  usual  course,  but  the  gale  must 
have  altered  the  currents,  for  I  thought  I  was  three 
miles  away  from  the  reef,  when  we  saw  it  on  our 
beam,  not  a  hundred  yards  away.  It  was  too  late 
to  avoid  it  then,  and  in  another  minute  we  ran  upon 
it,  and  the  waves  were  sweeping  over  us.  Every 
one  behaved  well.  I  got  all,  except  those  who  had 
been  swept  overboard  or  crushed  by  the  funnel,  up 
into  the  bow  of  the  ship,  and  there  we  waited. 
There  was  nothing  to  be  done.  No  boat  would  live 
for  a  moment  in  the  sea  on  that  reef,  and  all  I  could 
advise  was  that  when  she  went  to  pieces  everyone 
should  try  to  get  hold  of  a  floating  fragment;  but  I 
doubt  whether  a  man  would  have  been  alive  a  quar 
ter  of  an  hour  after  she  went  to  pieces." 

"  Perhaps,  captain,  you  will  come  on  deck  with 
me  and  give  me  the  benefit  of  your  advice.  My 
skipper  and  I  know  the  islands  pretty  well,  but  no 
doubt  you  know  them  a  good  deal  better,  and  I  don't 
want  another  mishap." 

But  the  Seabird  avoided  all  further  dangers,  and 


THE  PATERNOSTERS.  197 

as  it  became  dark  the  lights  of  St.  Helier's  were  in 
sight,  and  an  hour  later  the  yacht  brought  up  in  the 
port  and  landed  her  involuntary  passengers. 

A  fortnight  afterwards  the  Seabird  returned  to 
England,  and  two  months  later  Mrs.  Grantham  had 
the  satisfaction  of  being  present  at  the  ceremony 
which  was  the  successful  consummation  of  her  little 
scheme  in  inviting  Minnie  Graham  to  be  her  com 
panion  on  board  the  Seabird. 

"  Well,  my  dear,"  her  husband  said,  when  she  in 
dulged  in  a  little  natural  triumph,  "  I  do  not  say  that 
it  has  not  turned  out  well,  and  I  am  heartily  glad  for 
both  Tom  and  Minnie's  sake  it  has  so;  but  you  must 
allow  that  it  very  nearly  had  a  disastrous  ending,  and 
I  think  if  I  were  you  I  should  leave  matters  to  take 
their  natural  course  in  future.  I  have  accepted 
Tom's  invitation  for  the  same  party  to  take  a  cruise 
in  the  Seabird  next  summer,  but  I  have  bargained 
that  next  time  a  storm  is  brewing  up  we  shall  stop 
quietly  in  port." 

"That's  all  very  well,  James,"  Mrs.  Grantham 
said  saucily;  "but  you  must  remember  that  Tom 
Virtue  will  only  be  first-mate  of  the  Seabird  in 
future." 

"  That  I  shall  be  able  to  tell  you  better,  my  dear, 
after  our  next  cruise.  All  husbands  are  not  as  docile 
and  easily  led  as  I  am." 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 


A  JOVIAL  party  were  gathered  round  a  blazing 
fire  in  an  old  grange  near  Warwick.  The  hour  was 
getting  late;  the  very  little  ones  had,  after  dancing 
round  the  Christmas-tree,  enjoying  the  snap-dragon, 
and  playing  a  variety  of  games,  gone  off  to  bed;  and 
the  elder  boys  and  girls  now  gathered  round  their 
uncle,  Colonel  Harley,  and  asked  him  for  a  story — 
above  all,  a  ghost  story. 

"  But  I  have  never  seen  any  ghosts,"  the  colonel 
said,  laughing;  "  and,  moreover,  I  don't  believe  in 
them  one  bit.  I  have  traveled  pretty  well  all  over 
the  world,  I  have  slept  in  houses  said  to  be  haunted, 
but  nothing  have  I  seen — no  noises  that  could  not  be 
accounted  for  by  rats  or  the  wind  have  I  ever  heard. 
I  have  never  " — and  here  he  paused — "  never  but 
once  met  with  any  circumstances  or  occurrence  that 
could  not  be  accounted  for  by  the  light  of  reason, 
and  I  know  you  prefer  hearing  stories  of  my  own  ad 
ventures  to  mere  invention." 

"  Yes,  uncle.  But  what  was  tha  *  once '  when 
circumstances  happened  that  you  could  not  ex 
plain?" 


200  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

"  It's  rather  a  long  story,"  the  colonel  said,  "  and 
it's  getting  late." 

"  Oh !  no,  no,  uncle;  it  does  not  matter  a  bit  how 
late  we  sit  up  on  Christmas  Eve,  and  the  longer  the 
story  is,  the  better;  and  if  you  don't  believe  in 
ghosts  how  can  it  be  a  story  of  something  you  could 
not  account  for  by  the  light  of  nature?  " 

"  You  will  see  when  I  have  done,"  the  colonel  said. 
"  It  is  rather  a  story  of  what  the  Scotch  call  second 
sight,  than  one  of  ghosts.  As  to  accounting  for  it, 
you  shall  form  your  own  opinion  when  you  have 
heard  me  to  the  end. 

"  I  landed  in  India  in  '50,  and  after  going  through 
the  regular  drill  work  marched  with  a  detachment 
up  country  to  join  my  regiment,  which  was  stationed 
at  Jubbalpore,  in  the  very  heart  of  India,  It  has  be 
come  an  important  place  since;  the  railroad  across 
India  passes  through  it  and  no  end  of  changes  have 
taken  place;  but  at  that  time  it  was  one  of  the  most 
out-of-the-way  stations  in  India,  and,  I  may  say,  one 
of  the  most  pleasant.  It  lay  high,  there  was  capital 
boating  on  the  Nerbudda,  and,  above  all,  it  was  a 
grand  place  for  sport,  for  it  lay  at  the  foot  of  the  hill 
country,  an  immense  district,  then  but  little  known, 
covered  with  forests  and  jungle,  and  abounding  with 
big  game  of  all  kinds. 

"  My  great  friend  there  was  a  man  named  Sim- 
monds.  He  was  just  of  my  own  standing;  we  had 
come  out  in  the  same  ship,  had  marched  up  the  coun- 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  201 

try  together,  and  were  almost  like  brothers.  He 
was  an  old  Etonian,  I  an  old  Westminster,  and  we 
were  both  fond  of  boating,  and,  indeed,  of  sport  of 
all  kinds.  But  I  am  not  going  to  tell  you  of  that 
now.  The  people  in  these  hills  are  called  Gonds,  a 
true  hill  tribe — that  is  to  say,  aborigines,  somewhat 
of  the  negro  type.  The  chiefs  are  of  mixed  blood, 
but  the  people  are  almost  black.  They  are  supposed 
to  accept  the  religion  of  the  Hindus,  but  are  in  reality 
deplorably  ignorant  and  superstitious.  Their  priests 
are  a  sort  of  compound  of  a  Brahmin  priest  and  a 
negro  fetish  man,  and  among  their  principal  duties 
is  that  of  charming  away  tigers  from  the  villages  by 
means  of  incantations.  There,  as  in  other  parts  of 
India,  were  a  few  wandering  fakirs,  who  enjoyed  an 
immense  reputation  for  holiness  and  wisdom.  The 
people  would  go  to  them  from  great  distances  for 
charms  or  predictions,  and  believed  in  their  power 
with  implicit  faith. 

"  At  the  time  when  we  were  at  Jubbalpore  there 
was  one  of  these  fellows  whose  reputation  alto 
gether  eclipsed  that  of  his  rivals,  and  nothing  could 
be  done  until  his  permission  had  been  asked  and  his 
blessing  obtained.  All  sorts  of  marvelous  stories 
were  constantly  coming  to  our  ears  of  the  unerring 
foresight  with  which  he  predicted  the  termination  of 
diseases,  both  in  men  and  animals;  and  so  generally 
was  he  believed  in  that  the  colonel  ordered  that  no 
one  connected  with  the  regiment  should  consult  him, 


202  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

for  these  predictions  very  frequently  brought  about 
their  own  fulfillment;  for  those  who  were  told  that 
an  illness  would  terminate  fatally,  lost  all  hope,  and 
literally  lay  down  to  die. 

"  However,  many  of  the  stories  that  we  heard 
could  not  be  explained  on  these  grounds,  and  the 
fakir  and  his  doings  were  often  talked  over  at  mess, 
some  of  the  officers  scoffing  at  the  whole  business, 
others  maintaining  that  some  of  these  fakirs  had,  in 
some  way  or  another,  the  power  of  foretelling  the 
future,  citing  many  well-authenticated  anecdotes 
upon  the  subject. 

"  The  older  officers  were  the  believers,  we  young 
fellows  were  the  scoffers.  But  for  the  well-known 
fact  that  it  is  very  seldom  indeed  that  these  fakirs 
will  utter  any  of  their  predictions  to  Europeans, 
some  of  us  would  have  gone  to  him  to  test  his 
powers.  As  it  was,  none  of  us  had  ever  seen  him. 

"  He  lived  in  an  old  ruined  temple,  in  the  middle 
of  a  large  patch  of  jungle  at  the  foot  of  the  hills, 
some  ten  or  twelve  miles  away. 

"  I  had  been  at  Jubbalpore  about  a  year,  when  I 
was  woke  up  one  night  by  a  native,  who  came  in  to 
say  that  at  about  eight  o'clock  a  tiger  had  killed  a 
man  in  his  village,  and  had  dragged  off  the  body. 

"  Simmonds  and  I  were  constantly  out  after 
tigers,  and  the  people  in  all  the  villages  within 
twenty  miles  knew  that  we  were  always  ready  to  pay 
for  early  information.  This  tiger  had  been  doing 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  203 

great  damage,  and  had  carried  off  about  thirty  men, 
women,  and  children.  So  great  was  the  fear  of 
him,  indeed,  that  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  he 
frequented  scarcely  dared  stir  out  of  doors,  except  in 
parties  of  five  or  six.  We  had  had  several  hunts 
after  him,  but,  like  all  man-eaters,  he  was  old  and 
awfully  crafty;  and  although  we  got  several  snap 
shots  at  him,  he  had  always  managed  to  save  his 
skin. 

"  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  the  receipt  of  the 
message  Charley  Simmonds  and  I  were  on  the  back 
of  an  elephant  which  was  our  joint  property;  our 
shikaree,  a  capital  fellow,  was  on  foot  beside  us,  and 
with  the  native  trotting  on  ahead  as  guide  we  went 
off  at  the  best  pace  of  old  Begaum,  for  that  was  the 
elephant's  name.  The  village  was  fifteen  miles 
away,  but  we  got  there  soon  after  daybreak,  and 
were  received  with  delight  by  the  population.  In 
half  an  hour  the  hunt  was  organized;  all  the  male 
population  turned  out  as  beaters,  with  sticks,  guns, 
tom-torrs,  and  other  instruments  for  making  a  noise. 

'  The  trail  was  not  difficult  to  find.  A  broad 
path,  with  occasional  smears  of  blood,  showed  where 
he  had  dragged  his  victim  through  the  long  grass 
to  a  cluster  of  trees  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  from 
the  village. 

"  We  scarcely  expected  to  find  him  there,  but  the 
villagers  held  back,  while  we  went  forward  with 
cocked  rifles.  We  found,  however,  nothing  but  a 


204  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

few  bones  and  a  quantity  of  blood.  The  tiger  had 
made  off  at  the  approach  of  daylight  into  the  jungle, 
which  was  about  two  miles  distant.  We  traced  him 
easily  enough,  and  found  that  he  had  entered  a  large 
ravine,  from  which  several  smaller  ones  branched 
off. 

"  It  was  an  awkward  place,  as  it  was  next  to  im 
possible  to  surround  it  with  the  number  of  people 
at  our  command.  We  posted  them  at  last  all  along 
the  upper  ground,  and  told  them  to  make  up  in  noise 
what  they  wanted  in  numbers.  At  last  all  was  ready, 
and  we  gave  the  signal.  However,  I  am  not  telling 
you  a  hunting  story,  and  need  only  say  that  we  could 
neither  find  nor  disturb  him.  In  vain  we  pushed 
Begaum  through  the  thickest  of  the  jungle  which 
clothed  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  ravine,  while  the 
men  shouted,  beat  their  tom-toms,  and  showered 
imprecations  against  the  tiger  himself  and  his  an 
cestors  up  to  the  remotest  generations. 

"  The  day  was  tremendously  hot,  and,  after  three 
hours'  march,  we  gave  it  up  for  a  time,  and  lay  down 
in  the  shade,  while  the  shikarees  made  a  long  exami 
nation  of  the  ground  all  round  the  hillside,  to  be 
sure  that  he  had  not  left  the  ravine.  They  came 
back  with  the  news  that  no  traces  could  be  discov 
ered,  and  that,  beyond  a  doubt,  he  was  still  there. 
A  tiger  will  crouch  up  in  an  exceedingly  small  clump 
of  grass  or  bush,  and  will  sometimes  almost  allow 
himself  to  be  trodden  on  before  moving.  However, 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  205 

we  determined  to  have  one  more  search,  and  if  that 
should  prove  unsuccessful,  to  send  off  to  Jubbalpore 
for  some  more  of  the  men  to  come  out  with  ele 
phants,  while  we  kept  up  a  circle  of  fires,  and  of 
noises  of  all  descriptions,  so  as  to  keep  him  a  prisoner 
until  the  arrival  of  the  re-enforcements.  Our  next 
search  was  no  more  successful  than  our  first  had 
been;  and  having,  as  we  imagined,  examined  every 
clump  and  crevice  in  which  he  could  have  been  con 
cealed,  we  had  just  reached  the  upper  end  of  the 
ravine,  when  we  heard  a  tremendous  roar,  followed 
by  a  perfect  babel  of  yells  and  screams  from  the 
natives. 

"  The  outburst  came  from  the  mouth  of  the 
ravine,  and  we  felt  at  once  that  he  had  escaped.  We 
hurried  back  to  find,  as  we  had  expected,  that  th« 
tiger  was  gone.  He  had  burst  out  suddenly  from  his 
hiding-place,  had  seized  a  native,  torn  him  horribly, 
and  had  made  across  the  open  plain. 

"  This  was  terribly  provoking,  but  we  had  nothing 
to  do  but  follow  him.  This  was  easy  enough,  and 
we  traced  him  to  a  detached  patch  of  wood  and 
jungle,  two  miles  distant.  This  wood  was  four  or 
five  hundred  yards  across,  and  the  exclamations  of 
the  people  at  once  told  us  that  it  was  the  one  in  which 
stood  the  ruined  temple  of  the  fakir  of  whom  I  have 
been  telling  you.  I  forgot  to  say  that  as  the  tiger 
broke  out  one  of  the  village  shikarees  had  fired  at 
and,  he  declared,  wounded  him. 


ao6  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

"  It  was  already  getting  late  in  the  afternoon,  and 
it  was  hopeless  to  attempt  to  beat  the  jungle  that 
night.  We  therefore  sent  off  a  runner  with  a  note 
to  the  colonel,  asking  him  to  send  the  work- 
elephants,  and  to  allow  a  party  of  volunteers  to 
march  over  at  night,  to  help  surround  the  jungle 
when  we  commenced  beating  it  in  the  morning. 

"  We  based  our  request  upon  the  fact  that  the 
tiger  was  a  notorious  man-eater,  and  had  been  doing 
immense  damage.  We  then  had  a  talk  with  our 
shikaree,  sent  a  man  off  to  bring  provisions  for  the 
people  out  with  us,  and  then  set  them  to  work 
cutting  dry  sticks  and  grass  to  make  a  circle  of 
fires. 

"  We  both  felt  much  uneasiness  respecting  the 
fakir,  who  might  be  seized  at  any  moment  by  the 
enraged  tiger.  The  natives  would  not  allow  that 
there  was  any  cause  for  fear,  as  the  tiger  would  not 
dare  to  touch  so  holy  a  man.  Our  belief  in  the  re 
spect  of  the  tiger  for  sanctity  was  by  no  means 
strong,  and  we  determined  to  go  in  and  warn  him  of 
the  presence  of  the  brute  in  the  wood.  It  was  a 
mission  which  we  could  not  intrust  to  anyone  else, 
for  no  native  would  have  entered  the  jungle  for  un 
told  gold;  so  we  mounted  the  Begaum  again,  and 
started.  The  path  leading  towards  the  temple  was 
pretty  wide,  and  as  we  went  along  almost  noiselessly, 
for  the  elephant  was  too  well  trained  to  tread  upon 
fallen  sticks,  it  was  just  possible  we  might  come 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  207 

upon  the  tiger  suddenly,  so  we  kept  our  rifles  in 
readiness  in  our  hands. 

"  Presently  we  came  in  sight  of  the  ruins.  No 
one  was  at  first  visible;  but  at  that  very  moment  the 
fakir  came  out  from  the  temple.  He  did  not  see  or 
hear  us,  for  we  were  rather  behind  him  and  still 
among  the  trees,  but  at  once  proceeded  in  a  high 
voice  to  break  into  a  sing-song  prayer.  He  had  not 
said  two  words  before  his  voice  was  drowned  in  a 
terrific  roar,  and  in  an  instant  the  tiger  had  sprung 
upon  him,  struck  him  to  the  ground,  seized  him  as 
a  cat  would  a  mouse,  and  started  off  with  him  at  a 
trot.  The  brute  evidently  had  not  detected  our 
presence,  for  he  came  right  towards  us.  We  halted 
the  Begaum,  and,  with  our  fingers  on  the  triggers, 
awaited  the  favorable  moment.  He  was  a  hundred 
yards  from  us  when  he  struck  down  his  victim;  he 
was  not  more  than  fifty  when  he  caught  sight  of  us. 
He  stopped  for  an  instant  in  surprise.  Charley  mut 
tered,  '  Both  barrels,  Harley/  and  as  the  beast 
turned  to  plunge  into  the  jungle,  and  so  showed  us 
his  side,  we  sent  four  bullets  crashing  into  him,  and 
he  rolled  over  lifeless. 

"  We  went  up  to  the  spot,  made  the  Begaum  give 
him  a  kick,  to  be  sure  that  he  was  dead,  and  then 
got  down  to  examine  the  unfortunate  fakir.  The 
tiger  had  seized  him  by  the  shoulder,  which  was  ter 
ribly  torn,  and  the  bone  broken.  He  was  still  pei> 
fectly  conscious. 


ao8  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

"  We  at  once  fired  three  shots,  our  usual  signal 
that  the  tiger  was  dead,  and  in  a  few  minutes  were 
surrounded  by  the  villagers,  who  hardly  knew 
whether  to  be  delighted  at  the  death  of  their  enemy, 
or  to  grieve  over  the  injury  to  the  fakir.  We  pro 
posed  taking  the  latter  to  our  hospital  at  Jubbalpore, 
but  this  he  positively  refused  to  listen  to.  However, 
we  finally  persuaded  him  to  allow  his  arm  to  be  set 
and  the  wounds  dressed  in  the  first  place  by  our  regi 
mental  surgeon,  after  which  he  could  go  to  one  of 
the  native  villages  and  have  his  arm  dressed  in  ac 
cordance  with  his  own  notions.  A  litter  was  soon 
improvised,  and  away  we  went  to  Jubbalpore,  which 
we  reached  about  eight  in  the  evening. 

"  The  fakir  refused  to  enter  the  hospital,  so  we 
brought  out  a  couple  of  trestles,  laid  the  litter  upon 
them,  and  the  surgeon  set  his  arm  and  dressed  his 
wounds  by  torchlight,  when  he  was  lifted  into  a 
dhoolie,  and  his  bearers  again  prepared  to  start  foe 
the  village. 

"  Hitherto  he  had  only  spoken  a  few  words;  but 
he  now  briefly  expressed  his  deep  gratitude  to  Sim- 
monds  and  myself.  We  told  him  that  we  would 
ride  over  to  see  him  shortly,  and  hoped  to  find  him 
getting  on  rapidly.  Another  minute  and  he  was 
gone. 

"  It  happened  that  we  had  three  or  four  fellows 
away  on  leave  or  on  staff  duty,  and  several  others 
laid  up  with  fever  just  about  this  time,  so  that 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  909 

the  duty  fell  very  heavily  upon  the  rest  of  us,  and 
it  was  over  a  month  before  we  had  time  to  ride  over 
to  see  the  fakir. 

"We  had  heard  he  was  going  on  well;  but  we 
were  surprised,  on  reaching  the  village,  to  find  that 
he  had  already  returned  to  his  old  abode  in  the 
jungle.  However,  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to 
see  him,  especially  as  we  had  agreed  that  we  would 
endeavor  to  persuade  him  to  do  a  prediction  for  us; 
so  we  turned  our  horses'  heads  towards  the  jungle. 
We  found  the  fakir  sitting  on  a  rock  in  front  of  the 
temple,  just  where  he  had  been  seized  by  the  tiger. 
He  rose  as  we  rode  up. 

" '  I  knew  that  you  would  come  to-day,  sahibs, 
and  was  joyful  in  the  thought  of  seeing  those  who 
have  preserved  my  life.' 

" '  We  are  glad  to  see  you  looking  pretty  strong 
again,  though  your  arm  is  still  in  a  sling/  I  said,  fos 
Simmonds  was  not  strong  in  Hindustani. 

"  '  How  did  you  know  that  we  were  coming? '  I 
asked,  when  we  had  tied  tip  our  horses. 

" '  Siva  has  given  to  his  servant  to  know  many 
things,'  he  said  quietly. 

"  *  Did  you  know  beforehand  that  the  tiger  was 
going  to  seize  you  ? '  I  asked. 

"  *  I  knew  that  a  great  danger  threatened,  and 
that  Siva  would  not  let  me  die  before  my  time  had 
come.' 

" '  Could  you  see  into  our  future  ? '  I  asked. 


210  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

"  The  fakir  hesitated,  looked  at  me  for  a  moment 
earnestly  to  see  if  I  was  speaking  in  mockery,  and 
then  said: 

"  '  The  sahibs  do  not  believe  in  the  power  of  Siva 
or  of  his  servants.  They  call  his  messengers  im 
postors,  and  scoff  at  them  when  they  speak  of  the 
events  of  the  future.' 

"  '  No  indeed,'  I  said.  '  My  friend  and  I  have 
no  idea  of  scoffing.  We  have  heard  of  so  many  of 
your  predictions  coming  true,  that  we  are  really  anx 
ious  that  you  should  tell  us  something  of  the  future.' 

"  The  fakir  nodded  his  head,  went  into  the  temple, 
and  returned  in  a  minute  or  two  with  two  small  pipes 
used  by  the  natives  for  opium-smoking,  and  a  brazier 
of  burning  charcoal.  The  pipes  were  already 
charged.  He  made  signs  to  us  to  sit  down,  and  took 
his  place  in  front  of  us.  Then  he  began  singing  in 
a  low  voice,  rocking  himself  to  and  fro,  and  waving 
a  staff  which  he  held  in  his  hand.  Gradually  his 
voice  rose,  and  his  gesticulations  and  actions  became 
more  violent.  So  far  as  I  could  make  out,  it  was  a 
prayer  to  Siva  that  he  would  give  some  glimpse  of 
the  future  which  might  benefit  the  sahibs  who  had 
saved  the  life  of  his  servant.  Presently  he  darted 
forward,  gave  us  each  a  pipe,  took  two  pieces  of  red- 
hot  charcoal  from  the  brazier  in  his  fingers,  without 
seeming  to  know  that  they  were  warm,  and  placed 
them  in  the  pipes ;  then  he  recommenced  his  singing 
and  gesticulations. 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY,  211 

"A  glance  at  Charley,  to  see  if,  like  myself,  he 
was  ready  to  carry  the  thing  through,  and  then  I 
put  the  pipe  to  my  lips.  I  felt  at  once  that  it  was 
opium,  of  which  I  had  before  made  experiment,  but 
mixed  with  some  other  substance,  which  was,  I 
imagine,  hasheesh,  a  preparation  of  hemp.  A  few 
puffs,  and  I  felt  a  drowsiness  creeping  over  me.  I 
saw,  as  through  a  mist,  the  fakir  swaying  himself 
backwards  and  forwards,  his  arms  waving  and  his 
face  distorted.  Another  minute,  and  the  pipe 
slipped  from  my  fingers,  and  I  fell  back  insensible. 

"  How  long  I  lay  there  I  do  not  know.  I  woke 
with  a  strange  and  not  unpleasant  sensation,  and 
presently  became  conscious  that  the  fakir  was  gently 
pressing,  with  a  sort  of  shampooing  action,  my 
temples  and  head.  When  he  saw  that  I  opened  my 
eyes  he  left  me,  and  performed  the  same  process 
upon  Charley.  In  a  few  minutes  he  rose  from  his 
stooping  position,  waved  his  hand  in  token  of  adieu, 
and  walked  slowly  back  into  the  temple. 

"As  he  disappeared  I  sat  up;  Charley  did  the 
same. 

"  We  stared  at  each  other  for  a  minute  without 
speaking,  and  then  Charley  said : 

"  '  This  is  a  rum  go,  and  no  mistake,  old  man.' 

"  '  You're  right,  Charley.  My  opinion  is,  we've 
made  fools  of  ourselves.  Let's  be  off  out  of  this.' 

"  We  staggered  to  our  feet,  for  we  both  felt  like 
drunken  men,  made  our  way  to  our  horses,  poured 


2ia  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

a  mussuk  of  water  over  our  heads,  took  a  drink  of 
brandy  from  our  flasks,  and  then,  feeling  more  like 
ourselves,  mounted  and  rode  out  of  the  jungle. 

"  '  Well,  Harley,  if  the  glimpse  of  futurity  which 
I  had  is  true,  all  I  can  say  is  that  it  was  extremely 
unpleasant.' 

"  '  That  was  just  my  case,  Charley.' 

"  '  My  dream,  or  whatever  you  like  to  call  it,  was 
about  a  mutiny  of  the  men.' 

"  '  You  don't  say  so,  Charley;  so  was  mine.  This 
is  monstrously  strange,  to  say  the  least  of  it.  How 
ever,  you  tell  your  story  first,  and  then  I  will  tell 
mine/ 

"  '  It  was  very  short,'  Charley  said.  *  We  were 
at  mess — not  in  our  present  mess-room — we  were 
dining  with  the  fellows  of  some  other  regiment. 
Suddenly,  without  any  warning,  the  windows  were 
filled  with  a  crowd  of  Sepoys,  who  opened  fire  right 
and  left  into  us.  Half  the  fellows  were  shot  down 
at  once;  the  rest  of  us  made  a  rush  to  our  swords 
just  as  the  niggers  came  swarming  into  the  room. 
There  was  a  desperate  fight  for  a  moment.  I  re 
member  that  Subadar  Piran — one  of  the  best  native 
officers  in  the  regiment,  by  the  way — made  a  rush 
at  me,  and  I  shot  him  through  the  head  with  a  re 
volver.  At  the  same  moment  a  ball  hit  me,  and 
down  I  went.  At  the  moment  a  Sepoy  fell  dead 
across  me,  hiding  me  partly  from  sight.  The  fight 
lasted  a  minute  or  two  longer.  I  fancy  a  few  fel- 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  213 

lows  escaped,  for  I  heard  shots  outside.  Then  the 
place  became  quiet.  In  another  minute  I  heard  a 
crackling,  and  saw  that  the  devils  had  set  the  mess- 
room  on  fire.  One  of  our  men,  who  was  lying  close 
by  me,  got  up  and  crawled  to  the  window,  but  he 
was  shot  down  the  moment  he  showed  himself.  I 
was  hesitating  whether  to  do  the  same  or  to  lie  still 
and  be  smothered,  when  suddenly  I  rolled  the  dead 
Sepoy  off,  crawled  into  the  anteroom  half-suffocated 
by  smoke,  raised  the  lid  of  a  very  heavy  trapdoor, 
and  stumbled  down  some  steps  into  a  place,  half- 
storehouse  half  cellar,  under  the  mess-room.  How 
I  knew  about  it  being  there  I  don't  know.  The  trap 
closed  over  my  head  with  a  bang.  That  is  all  I  re 
member/ 

"  '  Well,  Charley,  curiously  enough  my  dream  was 
also  about  an  extraordinary  escape  from  danger, 
lasting,  like  yours,  only  a  minute  or  two.  The  first 
thing  I  remember — there  seems  to  have  been  some 
thing  before,  but  what,  I  don't  know — I  was  on 
horseback,  holding  a  very  pretty  but  awfully  pale 
girl  in  front  of  me.  We  were  pursued  by  a  whole 
troop  of  Sepoy  cavalry,  who  were  firing  pistol-shots 
at  us.  We  were  not  more  than  seventy  or  eighty 
yards  in  front,  and  they  were  gaining  fast,  just  as  I 
rode  into  a  large  deserted  temple.  In  the  center  was 
a  huge  stone  figure.  I  jumped  off  my  horse  with 
the  lady,  and  as  I  did  so  she  said,  "  blow  out  my 
brains,  Edward;  don't  let  me  fall  into  their  hands." 


a  14  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

*  Instead  of  answering,  I  hurried  her  round  be 
hind  the  idol,  pushed  against  one  of  the  leaves  of  a 
flower  in  the  carving,  and  the  stone  swung  back,  and 
showed  a  hole  just  large  enough  to  get  through,  with 
a  stone  staircase  inside  the  body  of  the  idol,  made,  no 
doubt,  for  the  priest  to  go  up  and  give  responses 
through  the  mouth.  I  hurried  the  girl  through, 
crept  in  after  her,  and  closed  the  stone,  just  as  our 
pursuers  came  clattering  into  the  courtyard.  That 
is  all  I  remember.' 

" '  Well,  it  is  monstrously  rum,'  Charley  said, 
after  a  pause.  '  Did  you  understand  what  the  old 
fellow  was  singing  about  before  he  gave  us  the 
pipes?' 

"'Yes;  I  caught  the  general  drift.  It  was  an 
entreaty  to  Siva  to  give  us  some  glimpse  of  futurity 
which  might  benefit  us/ 

"  We  lit  our  cheroots  and  rode  for  some  miles  at 
a  brisk  canter  without  remark.  When  we  were 
within  a  short  distance  of  home  we  reined  up. 

"  '  I  feel  ever  so  much  better,'  Charley  said.  '  We 
have  got  that  opium  out  of  our  heads  now.  How 
do  you  account  for  it  all,  Harley  ? ' 

" '  I  account  for  it  in  this  way,  Charley.  The 
opium  naturally  had  the  effect  of  making  us  both 
dream,  and  as  we  took  similar  doses  of  the  same 
mixture,  under  similar  circumstances,  it  is  scarcely 
extraordinary  that  it  should  have  effected  the  same 
portion  of  the  brain,  and  caused  a  certain  similarity 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  215 

in  our  dreams.  In  all  nightmares  something  ter 
rible  happens,  or  is  on  the  point  of  happening;  and 
so  it  was  here.  Not  unnaturally  in  both  our  cases 
our  thoughts  turned  to  soldiers.  If  you  remember, 
there  was  a  talk  at  mess  some  little  time  since  as  to 
what  would  happen  in  the  extremely  unlikely  event 
of  the  Sepoys  mutinying  in  a  body.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  was  the  foundation  of  both  our  dreams.  It  is 
all  natural  enough  when  we  come  to  think  it  over 
calmly.  I  think,  by  the  way,  we  had  better  agree  to 
say  nothing  at  all  about  it  in  the  regiment.' 

"  *  I  should  think  not/  Charley  said.  '  We  should 
never  hear  the  end  of  it;  they  would  chaff  us  out  of 
our  lives.' 

"  We  kept  our  secret,  and  came  at  last  to  laugh 
over  it  heartily  when  we  were  together.  Then  the 
subject  dropped,  and  by  the  end  of  a  year  had  as 
much  escaped  our  minds  as  any  other  dream  would 
have  done.  Three  months  after  the  affair  the  regi 
ment  was  ordered  down  to  Allahabad,  and  the 
change  of  place  no  doubt  helped  to  erase  all  memory 
of  the  dream.  Four  years  after  we  had  left  Jubbal- 
pore  we  went  to  Beerapore.  The  time  is  very 
marked  in  my  memory,  because,  the  very  week  we 
arrived  there,  your  aunt,  then  Miss  Gardiner,  came 
out  from  England,  to  her  father,  our  colonel.  The 
instant  I  saw  her  I  was  impressed  with  the  idea  that 
I  knew  her  intimately.  I  recollected  her  face,  her 
figure,  and  the  very  tone  of  her  voice,  but  wherever 


216  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

I  had  met  her  I  could  not  conceive.  Upon  the  oc 
casion  of  my  first  introduction  to  her  I  could  not 
help  telling  her  that  I  was  convinced  that  we  had 
met,  and  asking  her  if  she  did  not  remember  it.  No, 
she  did  not  remember,  but  very  likely  she  might  have 
done  so,  and  she  suggested  the  names  of  several 
people  at  whose  houses  we  might  have  met.  I  did 
not  know  any  of  them.  Presently  she  asked  how 
long  I  had  been  out  in  India? 

"  '  Six  years/  I  said. 

1 '  And  how  old,  Mr.  Harley,'  she  said,  '  do  you 
take  me  to  be  ?  ' 

"  I  saw  in  one  instant  my  stupidity,  and  was 
stammering  out  an  apology,  when  she  went  on : 

'  I  am  very  little  over  eighteen,  Mr.  Harley,  al 
though  I  evidently  look  ever  so  many  years  older; 
but  papa  can  certify  to  my  age;  so  I  was  only  twelve 
when  you  left  England.' 

"  I  tried  in  vain  to  clear  matters  up.  Your  aunt 
would  insist  that  I  took  her  to  be  forty,  and  the  fun 
that  my  blunder  made  rather  drew  us  together,  and 
gave  me  a  start  over  the  other  fellows  at  the  station, 
half  of  whom  fell  straightway  in  love  with  her. 
Some  months  went  on,  and  when  the  mutiny  broke 
out  we  were  engaged  to  be  married.  It  is  a  proof 
of  how  completely  the  opium-dreams  had  passed  out 
of  the  minds  of  both  Simmonds  and  myself,  that 
even  when  rumors  of  general  disaffection  among  the 
Sepoys  began  to  be  current,  they  never  once  recurred 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  217 

to  us;  and  even  when  the  news  of  the  actual  mutiny 
reached  us  we  were  just  as  confident  as  were  the 
others  of  the  fidelity  of  our  own  regiment.  It  was 
the  old  story,  foolish  confidence  and  black  treachery. 
As  at  very  many  other  stations,  the  mutiny  broke 
out  when  we  were  at  mess.  Our  regiment  was  din 
ing  with  the  34th  Bengalees.  Suddenly,  just  as 
dinner  was  over,  the  window  was  opened,  and  a  tre 
mendous  fire  poured  in.  Four  or  five  men  fell  dead 
at  once,  and  the  poor  colonel,  who  was  next  to  me, 
was  shot  right  through  the  head.  Everyone 
rushed  to  his  sword  and  drew  his  pistol — for  we  had 
been  ordered  to  carry  pistols  as  part  of  our  uniform. 
I  was  next  to  Charley  Simmonds  as  the  Sepoys  of 
both  regiments,  headed  by  Subadar  Piran,  poured 
in  at  the  windows. 

"  '  I  have  it  now,'  Charley  said;  '  it  is  the  scene  I 
dreamed.' 

"  As  he  spoke  he  fired  his  revolver  at  the  subadar, 
who  fell  dead  in  his  tracks. 

"  A  Sepoy  close  by  leveled  his  musket  and  fired. 
Charley  fell,  and  the  fellow  rushed  forward  to 
bayonet  him.  As  he  did  so  I  sent  a  bullet  through 
his  head,  and  he  fell  across  Charley.  It  was  a  wild 
fight  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then  a  few  of  us  made 
a  sudden  rush  together,  cut  our  way  through  the 
mutineers,  and  darted  through  an  open  window  on  to 
the  parade.  There  were  shouts,  shots,  and  screams 
from  the  officers'  bungalows,  and  in  several  places 


ai8  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

flames  were  already  rising.  What  became  of  the 
other  men  I  knew  not;  I  made  as  hard  as  I  could  tear 
for  the  colonel's  bungalow.  Suddenly  I  came  upon 
a  sowar  sitting  on  his  horse  watching  the  rising 
flames.  Before  he  saw  me  I  was  on  him,  and  ran 
him  through.  I  leapt  on  his  horse  and  galloped 
down  to  Gardiner's  compound.  I  saw  lots  of  Se 
poys  in  and  around  the  bungalow,  all  engaged  in 
looting.  I  dashed  into  the  compound. 

"  '  May !  May ! '  I  shouted.     '  Where  are  you  ?  ' 

"  I  had  scarcely  spoken  before  a  dark  figure  rushed 
out  of  a  clump  of  bushes  close  by  with  a  scream  of 
delight. 

"In  an  instant  she  was  on  the  horse  before  me, 
and,  shooting  down  a  couple  of  fellows  who  made  a 
rush  at  my  reins,  I  dashed  out  again.  Stray  shots 
were  fired  after  us.  But  fortunately  the  Sepoys 
were  all  busy  looting,  most  of  them  had  laid  down 
their  muskets,  and  no  one  really  took  up  the  pursuit. 
I  turned  off  from  the  parade-ground,  dashed  down 
between  the  hedges  of  two  compounds,  and  in  an 
other  minute  we  were  in  the  open  country. 

"  Fortunately,  the  cavalry  were  all  down  looting 
their  own  lines,  or  we  must  have  been  overtaken  at 
once.  May  happily  had  fainted  as  I  lifted  her  on 
to  my  horse — happily,  because  the  fearful  screams 
that  we  heard  from  the  various  bungalows  almost 
drove  me  mad,  and  would  probably  have  killed  her, 
for  the  poor  ladies  were  all  her  intimate  friends. 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  219 

"  I  rode  on  for  some  hours,  till  I  felt  quite  safe 
from  any  immediate  pursuit,  and  then  we  halted  in 
the  shelter  of  a  clump  of  trees. 

"  By  this  time  I  had  heard  May's  story.  She  had 
felt  uneasy  at  being  alone,  but  had  laughed  at  herself 
for  being  so,  until  upon  her  speaking  to  one  of  the 
servants  he  had  answered  in  a  tone  of  gross  in 
solence,  which  had  astonished  her.  She  at  once 
guessed  that  there  was  danger,  and  the  moment  that 
she  was  alone  caught  up  a  large,  dark  carriage  rug, 
wrapped  it  round  her  so  as  to  conceal  her  white  dress, 
and  stole  out  into  the  veranda.  The  night  was  dark, 
and  scarcely  had  she  left  the  house  than  she  heard  a 
burst  of  firing  across  at  the  mess-house.  She  at 
once  ran  in  among  the  bushes  and  crouched  there,  as 
she  heard  the  rush  of  men  into  the  room  she  had 
just  left.  She  heard  them  searching  for  her,  but 
they  were  looking  for  a  white  dress,  and  her  dark 
rug  saved  her.  What  she  must  have  suffered  in  the 
five  minutes  between  the  firing  of  the  first  shots  and 
my  arrival,  she  only  knows.  May  had  spoken  but 
very  little  since  we  started.  I  believe  that  she  was 
certain  that  her  father  was  dead,  although  I  had 
given  an  evasive  answer  when  she  asked  me;  aiid  her 
terrible  sense  of  loss,  added  to  the  horror  of  that  time 
of  suspense  in  the  garden,  had  completely  stunned 
her.  We  waited  in  the  tope  until  the  afternoon,  and 
then  set  out  again. 

"  We  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  we  saw 


220  A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

a  body  of  the  rebel  cavalry  in  pursuit.  They  had  no 
doubt  been  scouring  the  country  generally,  and  the 
discovery  was  accidental.  For  a  short  time  we  kept 
away  from  them,  but  this  could  not  be  for  long,  as 
our  horse  was  carrying  double.  I  made  for  a  sort  of 
ruin  I  saw  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  half  a  mile  away.  I 
did  so  with  no  idea  of  the  possibility  of  concealment 
My  intention  was  simply  to  get  my  back  to  a  rock 
and  to  sell  my  life  as  dearly  as  I  could,  keeping  the 
last  two  barrels  of  the  revolver  for  ourselves.  Cer 
tainly  no  remembrance  of  my  dream  influenced  me 
in  any  way,  and  in  the  wild  whirl  of  excitement  I 
had  not  given  a  second  thought  to  Charley  Sim- 
monds'  exclamation.  As  we  rode  up  to  the  ruins 
only  a  hundred  yards  ahead  of  us,  May  said : 

"  '  Blow  out  my  brains,  Edward;  don't  let  me  fall 
alive  into  their  hands.' 

"  A  shock  of  remembrance  shot  across  me.  The 
chase,  her  pale  face,  the  words,  the  temple — all  my 
dream  rushed  into  my  mind. 

" '  We  are  saved,'  I  cried,  to  her  amazement,  as 
we  rode  into  the  courtyard,  in  whose  center  a  great 
figure  was  sitting. 

"  I  leapt  from  the  horse,  snatched  the  mussuk  of 
water  from  the  saddle,  and  then  hurried  May  round 
the  idol,  between  which  and  the  rock  behind  there 
was  but  just  room  to  get  along. 

"  Not  a  doubt  entered  my  mind  but  that  I  should 
find  the  spring  as  I  had  dreamed.  Sure  enough 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  221 

there  was  the  carving,  fresh  upon  my  memory  as  if 
I  had  seen  it  but  the  day  before.  I  placed  my  hand 
on  the  leaflet  without  hesitation,  a  solid  stone  moved 
back,  I  hurried  my  amazed  companion  in,  and  shut 
to  the  stone.  I  found,  and  shot  to,  a  massive  bolt, 
evidently  placed  to  prevent  the  door  being  opened 
by  accident  or  design  when  anyone  was  in  the  idol. 

"At  first  it  seemed  quite  dark,  but  a  faint  light 
streamed  in  from  above;  we  made  our  way  up  the 
stairs,  and  found  that  the  light  came  through  a  num 
ber  of  small  holes  pierced  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
head,  and  through  still  smaller  holes  lower  down, 
not  much  larger  than  a  good-sized  knitting-needle 
could  pass  through.  These  holes,  we  afterwards 
found,  were  in  the  ornaments  round  the  idol's  neck. 
The  holes  enlarged  inside,  and  enabled  us  to  have  a 
view  all  round. 

"  The  mutineers  were  furious  at  our  disap 
pearance,  and  for  hours  searched  about.  Then,  say 
ing  that  we  must  be  hidden  somewhere,  and  that  they 
would  wait  till  we  came  out,  they  proceeded  to 
bivouac  in  the  courtyard  of  the  temple. 

"  We  passed  four  terrible  days,  but  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  fifth  a  scout  came  in  to  tell  the  rebels  that 
a  column  of  British  troops  marching  on  Delhi  would 
pass  close  by  the  temple.  They  therefore  hastily 
mounted  and  galloped  off. 

"  Three-quarters  of  an  hour  later  we  were  safe 
among  our  own  people.  A  fortnight  afterwards 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY. 

your  aunt  ^.nd  I  were  married.  It  was  no  time  for 
ceremony  then;  there  were  no  means  of  sending  her 
away;  no  place  where  she  couJd  have  waited  until  the 
time  for  her  mourning  for  her  father  was  over.  So 
we  were  married  quietly  by  one  of  the  chaplains  of 
the  troops,  and,  as  your  story-books  say,  have  lived 
very  happily  ever  after." 

"  And  how  about  Mr.  Simmonds,  uncle?  Did  he 
get  safe  off  too?" 

"  Yes,  his  dream  came  as  vividly  to  his  mind  as 
mine  had  done.  He  crawled  to  the  place  where  he 
knew  the  trapdoor  would  be,  and  got  into  the  cellar. 
Fortunately  for  him  there  were  plenty  of  eatables 
there,  and  he  lived  there  in  concealment  for  a  fort- 
night.  After  that  he  crawled  out,  and  found  the 
mutineers  had  marched  for  Delhi.  He  went 
through  a  lot,  but  at  last  joined  us  before  that  city. 
We  often  talked  over  our  dreams  together,  and  there 
was  no  question  that  we  owed  our  lives  to  them. 
Even  then  we  did  not  talk  much  to  other  people  about 
them,  for  there  would  have  been  a  lot  of  talk,  and 
inquiry,  and  questions,  and  you  know  fellows  hate 
that  sort  of  thing.  So  we  held  our  tongues.  Poor 
Charley's  silence  was  sealed  a  year  later  at  Luck- 
now,  for  on  the  advance  with  Lord  Clyde  he  was 
killed. 

"  And  now,  boys  and  girls,  you  must  run  off  to 
bed.  Five  minutes  more  and  it  will  be  Christmas 
Day.  So  you  see,  Frank,  that  although  I  don't  be- 


A  PIPE  OF  MYSTERY.  223 

lieve  in  ghosts,  I  have  yet  met  with  a  circumstance 
which  I  cannot  account  for." 

"  It  is  very  curious  anyhow,  uncle,  and  beats  ghost 
stories  into  fits." 

"  I  like  it  better,  certainly/'  one  of  the  girls  said, 
"  for  we  can  go  to  bed  without  being  afraid  of 
dreaming  about  it." 

"  Well,  you  must  not  talk  any  more  now.  Off  to 
bed,  off  to  bed,"  Colonel  Hariey  said,  "  or  I  shall 
get  into  terrible  disgrace  with  your  fathers  and 
mothers,  who  have  been  looking  very  gravely  at  me 
for  the  last  three-quarters  of  an  hour." 


WHITE-FACED  DICK. 

A    STORY    OF    PINE-TREE    GULCH. 


How  Pine-tree  Gulch  got  its  name  no  one  knew, 
for  in  the  early  days  every  ravine  and  hillside  was 
thickly  covered  with  pines.  It  may  be  that  a  tree 
of  exceptional  size  caught  the  eye  of  the  first  ex 
plorer,  that  he  camped  under  it,  and  named  the  place 
in  its  honor;  or,  may  be,  some  fallen  giant  lay  in  the 
bottom  and  hindered  the  work  of  the  first  pro 
spectors.  At  any  rate,  Pine-tree  Gulch  it  was,  and 
the  name  was  as  good  as  any  other.  The  pine-trees 
were  gone  now.  Cut  up  for  firing,  or  for  the  erec 
tion  of  huts,  or  the  construction  of  sluices,  but  the 
hillside  was  ragged  with  their  stumps. 

The  principal  camp  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gulch, 
where  the  little  stream,  which  scarce  afforded  water 
sufficient  for  the  cradles  in  the  dry  season,  but  which 
was  a  rushing  torrent  in  winter,  joined  the  Yuba, 
The  best  ground  was  at  the  junction  of  the  streams, 
and  lay,  indeed,  in  the  Yuba  Valley  rather  than  in 
the  Gulch.  At  first  most  gold  had  been  found  higher 
up,  but  there  was  here  comparatively  little  depth 
down  to  the  bed-rock,  and  as  the  ground  became  ex- 

235 


826  WHITE-FACED  DICK. 

hausted  the  miners  moved  down  towards  the  moutb 
of  the  Gulch.  They  were  doing  well,  as  a  whole, 
how  well  no  one  knew,  for  miners  are  chary  of  giv 
ing  information  as  to  what  they  are  making;  still,  it 
was  certain  they  were  doing  well,  for  the  bars  were 
doing  a  roaring  trade,  and  the  storekeepers  never  re 
fused  credit — a  proof  in  itself  that  the  prospects  were 
good. 

The  flat  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gulch  was  a  busy 
scene,  every  foot  was  good-paying  stuff,  for  in  the 
eddy,  where  the  torrents  in  winter  rushed  down  into 
the  Yuba,  the  gold  had  settled  down  and  lay  thick 
among  the  gravel.  But  most  of  the  parties  were 
sinking,  and  it  was  a  long  way  down  to  the  bed-rock; 
for  the  hills  on  both  sides  sloped  steeply,  and  the 
Yuba  must  here  at  one  time  have  rushed  through 
a  narrow  gorge,  until,  in  some  wild  freak,  it  brought 
down  millions  of  tons  of  gravel,  and  resumed  its 
course  seventy  feet  above  its  former  level. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  higher  up  a  ledge  of  rock  ran 
across  the  valley,  and  over  it  in  the  old  time  the 
Yuba  had  poured  in  a  cascade  seventy  feet  deep  into 
the  ravine.  But  the  rock  now  was  level  with  the 
gravel,  only  showing  its  jagged  points  here  and  there 
above  it  This  ledge  had  been  invaluable  to  the 
diggers :  without  it  they  could  only  have  sunk  their 
shafts  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  for  the  gravel 
would  have  been  full  of  water,  and  even  with  the 
greatest  pains  in  puddling  and  timber-work  the 


WHITE-FACED  DICK.  227 

pumps  would  scarcely  have  sufficed  to  keep  it  down 
as  it  rose  in  the  bottom  of  the  shafts.  But  the 
miners  had  made  common  cause  together,  and  giv 
ing  each  so  many  ounces  of  gold  or  so  many  days' 
work  had  erected  a  dam  thirty  feet  high  along  the 
ledge  of  rock,  and  had  cut  a  channel  for  the  Yuba 
along  the  lower  slopes  of  the  valley.  Of  course, 
when  the  rain  set  in,  as  everybody  knew,  the  dam 
would  go,  and  the  river  diggings  must  be  abandoned 
till  the  water  subsided  and  a  fresh  dam  was  made; 
but  there  were  two  months  before  them  yet,  and 
everyone  hoped  to  be  down  to  the  bed-rock  before 
the  water  interrupted  their  work. 

The  hillside,  both  in  the  Yuba  Valley  and  for  some 
distance  along  Pine-tree  Gulch,  was  dotted  by  shan 
ties  and  tents;  the  former  constructed  for  the  most 
part  of  logs  roughly  squared,  the  walls  being  some 
three  feet  in  height,  on  which  the  sharp  sloping  roof 
was  placed,  thatched  in  the  first  place  with  boughs, 
and  made  all  snug,  perhaps,  with  an  old  sail  stretched 
over  all.  The  camp  was  quiet  enough  during  the 
day.  The  few  women  were  away  with  their  wash 
ing  at  the  pools,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  up  the  Gulch,  and 
the  only  persons  to  be  seen  about  were  the  men  told 
off  for  cooking  for  their  respective  parties. 

But  in  the  evening  the  camp  was  lively.  Groups 
of  men  in  red  shirts  and  corded  trousers  tied  at  the 
knee,  in  high  boots,  sat  round  blazing  fires,  and 
talked  of  their  prospects  or  discussed  the  news  of  the 


828  WHITE-FACED  DICK. 

luck  at  other  camps.  The  sound  of  music  cam* 
from  two  or  three  plank  erections  which  rose  con 
spicuously  above  the  huts  of  the  diggers,  and  were 
bright  externally  with  the  glories  of  white  and  col 
ored  paints.  To  and  from  these  men  were  always 
sauntering,  and  it  needed  not  the  clink  of  glasses  and 
the  sound  of  music  to  tell  that  they  were  the  bars  of 
the  camp. 

Here,  standing  at  the  counter,  or  seated  at 
numerous  small  tables,  men  were  drinking  villainous 
liquor,  smoking  and  talking,  and  paying  but  scant 
attention  to  the  strains  of  the  fiddle  or  the  accordion, 
save  when  some  well-known  air  was  played,  when  all 
would  join  in  a  boisterous  chorus.  Some  were  al 
ways  passing  in  or  out  of  a  door  which  led  into  a 
room  behind.  Here  there  was  comparative  quiet, 
for  men  were  gambling,  and  gambling  high. 

Going  backwards  and  forwards  with  liquors  into 
the  gambling-room  of  the  Imperial  Saloon,  which 
stood  just  where  Pine-tree  Gulch  opened  into  Yuba 
Valley,  was  a  lad,  whose  appearance  had  earned  for 
him  the  name  of  White-faced  Dick. 

White-faced  Dick  was  not  one  of  those  who  had 
done  well  at  Pine-tree  Gulch ;  he  had  come  across  the 
plains  with  his  father,  who  had  died  when  halfway 
over,  and  Dick  had  been  thrown  on  the  world  to  shift 
for  himself.  Nature  had  not  intended  him  for  the 
work,  for  he  was  a  delicate,  timid  lad;  what  spirits 
he  originally  had  having  been  years  before  beaten 


WHITE-FACED  DICK.  229 

out  of  him  by  a  brutal  father.  So  far,  indeed,  Dick 
was  the  better  rather  than  the  worse  for  the  event 
which  had  left  him  an  orphan. 

They  had  been  traveling  with  a  large  party  for 
mutual  security  against  Indians  and  Mormons,  and 
so  long  as  the  journey  lasted  Dick  had  got  on  fairly 
well.  He  was  always  ready  to  do  odd  jobs,  and  as 
the  draught  cattle  were  growing  weaker  and  weaker, 
and  every  pound  of  weight  was  of  importance,  no 
one  grudged  him  his  rations  in  return  for  his  serv 
ices;  but  when  the  company  began  to  descend  the 
slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  they  began  to  break  up, 
going  off  by  twos  and  threes  to  the  diggings  of 
which  they  heard  such  glowing  accounts.  Some, 
however,  kept  straight  on  to  Sacramento,  determin 
ing  there  to  obtain  news  as  to  the  doings  at  all  the 
different  places,  and  then  to  choose  that  which 
seemed  to  them  to  offer  the  surest  prospects  of 
success. 

Dick  proceeded  with  them  to  the  town,  and  there 
found  himself  alone.  His  companions  were  ab 
sorbed  in  the  busy  rush  of  population,  and  each  had 
so  much  to  provide  and  arrange  for,  that  none  gave 
a  thought  to  the  solitary  boy.  However,  at  that 
time  no  one  who  had  a  pair  of  hands,  however  feeble, 
to  work  need  starve  in  Sacramento,  and  for  some 
weeks  Dick  hung  around  the  town  doing  odd  jobs, 
and  then,  having  saved  a  few  dollars,  determined  to 
try  his  luck  at  the  diggings,  and  started  on  foot  with 


230  WHITE-FACED  DICK. 

a  shovel  on  his  shoulders  and  a  few  days'  provisions 
slung  across  it. 

Arrived  at  his  destination,  the  lad  soon  discovered 
that  gold-digging  was  hard  work  for  brawny  and 
seasoned  men,  and  after  a  few  feeble  attempts  in 
spots  abandoned  as  worthless  he  gave  up  the  effort, 
and  again  began  to  drift;  and  even  in  Pine-tree 
Gulch  it  was  not  difficult  to  get  a  living.  At  first 
he  tried  rocking  cradles,  but  the  work  was  far  harder 
than  it  appeared.  He  was  standing  ankle-deep  inj 
water  from  morning  till  night,  and  his  cheeks  grew 
paler,  and  his  strength,  instead  of  increasing,  seemed 
to  fade  away.  Still,  there  were  jobs  within  his 
strength.  He  could  keep  a  fire  alight  and  watch  a 
cooking-pot,  he  could  carry  up  buckets  of  water  or 
wash  a  flannel  shirt,  and  so  he  struggled  on,  until  at 
last  some  kind-hearted  man  suggested  to  him  that 
he  should  try  to  get  a  place  at  the  new  saloon  which 
was  about  to  be  opened. 

"  You  are  not  fit  for  this  work,  young  'un,  and  you 
ought  to  be  at  home  with  your  mother;  if  you  like 
I  will  go  up  with  you  this  evening  to  Jeffries.  I 
knew  him  down  on  the  flats,  and  I  dare  say  he  will 
take  you  on.  I  don't  say  as  a  saloon  is  a  good  place 
for  a  boy,  still  you  will  always  get  your  bellyful  of 
victuals  and  a  dry  place  to  sleep  in,  if  it's  only  under 
a  table.  What  do  you  say?  " 

Dick  thankfully  accepted  the  offer,  and  on  Red 
George's  recommendation  was  that  evening  en- 


WHITE-FACED  DICK.  231 

gaged.  His  work  was  not  hard  now,  for  till  the 
miners  knocked  off  there  was  little  doing  in  the 
saloon;  a  few  men  would  come  in  for  a  drink  at 
dinner-time,  but  it  was  not  until  the  lamps  were  lit 
that  business  began  in  earnest,  and  then  for  four  or 
five  hours  Dick  was  busy. 

A  rougher  or  healthier  lad  would  not  have  minded 
the  work,  but  to  Dick  it  was  torture;  every  nerve 
in  his  body  thrilled  whenever  rough  miners  cursed 
him  for  not  carrying  out  their  orders  more  quickly, 
or  for  bringing  them  the  wrong  liquors,  which,  as 
his  brain  was  in  a  whirl  with  the  noise,  the  shout 
ing,  and  the  multiplicity  of  orders,  happened  fre 
quently.  He  might  have  fared  worse  had  not  Red 
George  always  stood  his  friend,  and  Red  George 
was  an  authority  in  Pine-tree  Gulch — powerful  in 
frame,  reckless  in  bearing  and  temper,  he  had  been 
in  a  score  of  fights  and  had  come  off  them,  if  not  un 
scathed,  at  least  victorious.  He  was  notoriously  a 
lucky  digger,  but  his  earnings  went  as  fast  as  they 
were  made,  and  he  was  always  ready  to  open  his  belt 
and  give  a  bountiful  pinch  of  dust  to  any  mate  down 
on  his  luck. 

"  One  evening  Dick  was  more  helpless  and  con 
fused  than  usual.  The  saloon  was  full,  and  he  had 
been  shouted  at  and  badgered  and  cursed  until  he 
scarcely  knew  what  he  was  doing.  High  play  was 
going  on  in  the  saloon,  and  a  good  many  men  were 
clustered  round  the  table,  Red  George  was  having 


232  WHITE-FACED  DICK, 

a  run  of  luck,  and  there  was  a  big  pile  of  gold  dust 
on  the  table  before  him.  One  of  the  gamblers  who 
was  losing  had  ordered  old  rye,  and  instead  of  bring 
ing  it  to  him,  Dick  brought  a  tumbler  of  hot  liquor 
which  someone  else  had  called  for.  With  an  oath 
the  man  took  it  up  and  threw  it  in  his  face. 

"  You  cowardly  hound !  "  Red  George  exclaimed. 
"  Are  you  man  enough  to  do  that  to  a  man?  " 

"  You  bet,"  the  gambler,  who  was  a  new  arrival  at 
Pine-tree  Gulch,  replied;  and  picking  up  an  empty 
glass,  he  hurled  it  at  Red  George,  The  bystanders 
sprang  aside,  and  in  a  moment  the  two  men  were 
facing  each  other  with  outstretched  pistols.  The 
two  reports  rung  out  simultaneously:  Red  George 
sat  down  unconcernedly  with  a  streak  of  blood  flow 
ing  down  his  face,  where  the  bullet  had  cut  a  furrow 
in  his  cheek;  the  stranger  fell  back  with  a  bullet 
hole  in  the  center  of  his  forehead. 

The  body  was  carried  outside,  and  the  play  con 
tinued  as  if  no  interruption  had  taken  place.  They 
were  accustomed  to  such  occurrences  in  Pine-tree 
Gulch,  and  the  piece  of  ground  at  the  top  of  the  hill, 
that  had  been  set  aside  as  a  burial  place,  was  already 
dotted  thickly  with  graves,  filled  in  almost  every  in 
stance  by  men  who  had  died,  in  the  local  phraseology, 
"  with  their  boots  on." 

Neither  then  nor  afterwards  did  Red  George 
allude  to  the  subject  to  Dick,  whose  life  after  this 
signal  instance  of  his  championship  was  easier  than 


WHITE-FACED  DICK. 

it  had  hitherto  been,  for  there  were  few  in  Pine-tree 
Gulch  who  cared  to  excite  Red  George's  anger;  and 
strangers  going  to  the  place  were  sure  to  receive  a 
friendly  warning  that  it  was  best  for  their  health  to 
keep  their  tempers  over  any  shortcomings  on  the 
part  of  White-faced  Dick. 

Grateful  as  he  was  for  Red  George's  interference 
on  his  behalf,  Dick  felt  the  circumstance  which  had 
ensued  more  than  anyone  else  in  the  camp.  With 
others  it  was  the  subject  of  five  minutes'  talk,  but 
Dick  could  not  get  out  of  his  head  the  thought  of  the 
dead  man's  face  as  he  fell  back.  He  had  seen  many 
such  frays  before,  but  he  was  too  full  of  his  own 
troubles  for  them  to  make  much  impression  upon 
him.  But  in  the  present  case  he  felt  as  if  he  himself 
was  responsible  for  the  death  of  the  gambler;  if  he 
had  not  blundered  this  would  not  have  happened. 

He  wondered  whether  the  dead  man  had  a  wife 
and  children,  and,  if  so,  were  they  expecting  his  re 
turn?  Would  they  ever  hear  where  he  had  died, 
and  how  ? 

But  this  feeling,  which,  tired  out  as  he  was  when 
the  time  came  for  closing  the  bar,  often  prevented 
him  from  sleeping  for  hours,  in  no  way  lessened  his 
gratitude  and  devotion  towards  Red  George,  and  he 
felt  that  he  could  die  willingly  if  his  life  would  bene 
fit  his  champion.  Sometimes  he  thought,  too,  that 
his  life  would  not  be  much  to  ^ive,  for,  in  spite  of 
shelter  and  food,  the  cough  which  he  had  caught 


734  WHITE-FACED  DICK. 

while  working  in  the  water  still  clung  to  him,  and 
as  his  employer  said  to  him  angrily  one  day : 

"  Your  victuals  don't  do  you  no  good,  Dick;  yoi« 
get  thinner  and  thinner,  and  folks  will  think  as  1 
starve  you.  Darned  if  you  aint  a  disgrace  to  the 
establishment." 

The  wind  was  whistling  down  the  gorges,  and  the 
clouds  hung  among  the  pine-woods  which  still 
clothed  the  upper  slopes  of  the  hills,  and  the  diggers, 
as  they  turned  out  one  morning,  looked  up  appre 
hensively. 

"  But  it  could  not  be,"  they  assured  each  otheir. 
Everyone  knew  that  the  rains  were  not  due  for  an 
other  month  yet;  it  could  only  be  a  passing  shower  it 
it  rained  at  all. 

But  as  the  morning  went  on,  men  came  in  from 
camps  higher  up  the  river,  and  reports  were  current 
that  it  had  been  raining  for  the  last  two  days  among 
the  upper  hills;  while  those  who  took  the  trouble  to 
walk  across  to  the  new  channel  could  see  for  them 
selves  at  noon  that  it  was  filled  very  nigh  to  the  brim, 
the  water  rushing  along  with  thick  and  turbid  cur 
rent.  But  those  who  repeated  the  rumors,  or  who 
reported  that  the  channel  was  full,  were  summarily 
put  down.  Men  would  not  believe  that  such  a 
calamity  as  a  flood  and  the  destruction  of  all  their 
season's  work  could  be  impending.  There  had  been 
some  showers,  no  doubt,  as  there  had  often  been  be 
fore,  but  it  was  ridiculous  to  talk  of  anything  like 


WHITE-FACED  DICK.  235 

rain  a  month  before  its  time.  Still,  in  spite  of  these 
assertions,  there  was  uneasiness  at  Pine-tree  Gulch, 
and  men  looked  at  the  driving  clouds  above  and 
shook  their  heads  before  they  went  down  to  the 
shafts  to  work  after  dinner. 

When  the  last  customer  had  left  and  the  bar  was 
closed,  Dick  had  nothing  to  do  till  evening,  and  he 
wandered  outside  and  sat  down  on  a  stump,  at  first 
looking  at  the  work  going  on  in  the  valley,  then  so 
absorbed  in  his  own  thoughts  that  he  noticed  noth 
ing,  not  even  the  driving  mist  which  presently  set  in. 
He  was  calculating  that  he  had,  with  his  savings 
from  his  wages  and  what  had  been  given  him  by  the 
miners,  laid  by  eighty  dollars.  When  he  got  an 
other  hundred  and  twenty  he  would  go;  he  would 
make  his  way  down  to  San  Francisco,  and  then  by 
ship  to  Panama  and  up  to  New  York,  and  then  west 
again  to  the  village  where  he  was  born.  There 
would  be  people  there  who  would  know  him,  and 
who  would  give  him  work  for  his  mother's  sake. 
He  did  not  care  what  it  was;  anything  would  be 
better  than  this. 

Then  his  thoughts  came  back  to  Pine-tree  Gulch, 
and  he  started  to  his  feet.  Could  he  be  mistaken? 
Were  his  eyes  deceiving  him?  No;  among  the 
stones  and  bowlders  of  the  old  bed  of  the  Yuba  there 
was  the  gleam  of  water,  and  even  as  he  watched  it 
he  could  see  it  widening  out.  He  started  to  run 
down  the  hill  to  give  the  alarm,  but  before  he  was 


WHITE-FACED  DICK. 

halfway  he  paused,  for  there  were  loud  shouts,  and 
a  scene  of  bustle  and  confusion  instantly  arose. 

The  cradles  were  deserted,  and  the  men  working 
on  the  surface  loaded  themselves  with  their  tools  and 
made  for  the  high  ground,  while  those  at  the  wind 
lasses  worked  their  hardest  to  draw  up  their  com 
rades  below.  A  man  coming  down  from  above 
stopped  close  to  Dick,  with  a  low  cry,  and  stood  gaz 
ing  with  a  white  scared  face.  Dick  had  worked 
with  him ;  he  was  one  of  the  company  to  which  Red 
George  belonged. 

"What  is  it,  Saunders?" 

"  My  God !  they  are  lost !  "  the  man  replied.  "  I 
was  at  the  windlass  when  they  shouted  up  to  me  to 
go  up  and  fetch  them  a  bottle  of  rum.  They  had 
just  struck  it  rich,  and  wanted  a  drink  on  the 
strength  of  it." 

Dick  understood  at  once.  Red  George  and  his 
mates  were  still  in  the  bottom  of  the  shaft,  ignorant 
of  the  danger  which  was  threatening  them. 

"  Come  on,"  he  cried;  "  we  shall  be  in  time  yet," 
and  at  the  top  of  his  speed  dashed  down  the  hill,  fol 
lowed  by  Saunders. 

"  What  is  it,  what  is  it  ?  "  asked  parties  of  men 
mounting  the  hill. 

"  Red  George's  gang  are  still  below." 

Dick's  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  water.  There  was 
a  broad  band  now  of  yellow  with  a  white  edge  down 
the  center  of  the  stony  flat,  and  it  was  widening  with 


WHITE-FACED  DICK.  237 

terrible  rapidity.  It  was  scarce  ten  yards  from  the 
windlass  at  the  top  of  Red  George's  shaft  when  Dick, 
followed  closely  by  Saunders,  reached  it. 

"Come  up,  mates;  quick,  for  your  lives!  The 
river  is  rising;  you  will  be  flooded  out  directly. 
Everyone  else  has  gone !  " 

As  he  spoke  he  pulled  at  the  rope  by  which  the 
bucket  was  hanging,  and  the  handles  of  the  wind 
lass  flew  round  rapidly  as  it  descended.  When  it 
had  run  out  Dick  and  he  grasped  the  handles. 

"All  right  below?" 

An  answering  call  came  up,  and  the  two  began 
their  work,  throwing  their  whole  strength  into  it. 
Quickly  as  the  windlass  revolved  it  seemed  an  end 
less  time  to  Dicl:  before  the  bucket  came  up,  and  the 
first  man  stepped  out.  It  was  not  Red  George. 
Dick  had  hardly  expected  it  would  be.  Red  George 
would  be  sure  to  see  his  two  mates  up  before  him, 
and  the  man  uttered  a  cry  of  alarm  as  he  saw  the 
water,  now  within  a  few  feet  of  the  mouth  of  the 
shaft 

It  was  a  torrent  now,  for  not  only  was  it  coming 
through  the  dam,  but  it  was  rushing  down  in  cas 
cades  from  the  new  channel.  Without  a  word  the 
miner  placed  himself  facing  Dick,  and  the  moment 
the  bucket  was  again  down,  the  three  grasped  the 
handles.  But  quickly  as  they  worked,  the  edge  of 
the  water  was  within  a  few  inches  of  the  shaft  when 
the  next  man  reached  the  surface;  but  again  the 


238  WHITE-FACED  DICK. 

bucket  descended  before  the  rope  tightened.  How 
ever,  the  water  had  begun  to  run  over  the  lip — at 
first,  in  a  mere  trickle,  and  then,  almost  instan 
taneously,  in  a  cascade,  which  grew  larger  and 
larger. 

The  bucket  was  halfway  up  when  a  sound  like 
thunder  was  heard,  the  ground  seemed  to  tremble 
under  their  feet,  and  then  at  the  turn  of  the  valley 
above,  a  great  wave  of  yellow  water,  crested  with 
foam,  was  seen  tearing  along  at  the  speed  of  a  race 
horse. 

"  The  dam  has  burst !  "  Saunders  shouted.  "  Run 
for  your  lives,  or  we  are  all  lost !  " 

The  three  men  dropped  the  handles  and  ran  at  full 
speed  towards  the  shore,  while  loud  shouts  to  Dick 
to  follow  came  from  the  crowd  of  men  standing  on 
the  slope.  But  the  boy  grasped  the  handles, 
and  with  lips  tightly  closed,  still  toiled  on.  Slowly 
the  bucket  ascended,  for  Red  George  was  a  heavy 
man;  then  suddenly  the  weight  slackened,  and  the 
handle  went  round  faster.  The  shaft  was  filling, 
the  water  had  reached  the  bucket,  and  had  risen  to 
Red  George's  neck,  so  that  his  weight  was  no  longer 
on  the  rope.  So  fast  did  the  water  pour  in,  that  it 
was-  not  half  a  minute  before  the  bucket  reached  the 
surface,  and  Red  George  sprang  out.  There  was 
but  time  for  one  exclamation,  and  then  the  great 
wave  struck  them.  Red  George  was  whirled  like  a 
straw  in  the  current;  but  he  was  a  strong  swimmer, 


WHITE-FACED  DICK.  239 

and  at  a  point  where  the  valley  widened  out,  half  a 
mile  lower,  he  struggled  to  shore. 

Two  days  later  the  news  reached  Pine-tree  Gulch 
that  a  boy's  body  had  been  washed  ashore  twenty 
miles  down,  and  ten  men,  headed  by  Red  George, 
went  and  brought  it  solemnly  back  to  Pine-tree 
Gulch.  There  among  the  stumps  of  pine  trees  a 
grave  was  dug,  and  there,  in  the  presence  of  the 
whole  camp,  White-faced  Dick  was  laid  to  rest. 

Pine-tree  Gulch  is  a  solitude  now,  the  trees  are 
growing  again,  and  none  would  dream  that  it  was 
once  a  busy  scene  of  industry;  but  if  the  traveler 
searches  among  the  pine  trees  he  will  find  a  stone 
with  the  words : 

"  Here  lies  White- faced  Dick,  who  died  to  save 
Red  George.  '  What  can  a  man  do  more  than  give 
his  life  for  a  friend  ?  ' 

The  text  was  the  suggestion  of  an  ex-clergyman 
working  as  a  miner  in  Pine-tree  Gulch. 

Red  George  worked  no  more  at  the  diggings,  but, 
after  seeing  the  stone  laid  in  its  place,  went  east,  and 
with  what  little  money  came  to  him  when  the  com 
mon  fund  of  the  company  was  divided  after  the 
flood  on  the  Yuba,  bought  a  small  farm,  and  settled 
down  there;  but  to  the  end  of  his  life  he  was  never 
weary  of  telling  those  who  would  listen  to  it  the 
story  of  Pine-tree  Gulch. 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 


IT  was  early  in  December  that  H.  M.  S.  Perseus 
was  cruising  off  the  mouth  of  the  Canton  River. 
War  had  been  declared  with  China  in  consequence 
of  her  continued  evasions  of  the  treaty  she  had  made 
with  us,  and  it  was  expected  that  a  strong  naval  force 
would  soon  gather  to  bring  her  to  reason.  In  the 
meantime  the  ships  on  the  station  had  a  busy  time  of 
it,  chasing  the  enemy's  junks  when  they  ventured  to 
show  themselves  beyond  the  reach  of  the  guns  of 
their  forts,  and  occasionally  having  a  brush  with  the 
piratical  boats  which  took  advantage  of  the  general 
confusion  to  plunder  friend  as  well  as  foe. 

The  Perseus  had  that  afternoon  chased  two  gov 
ernment  junks  up  a  creek.  The  sun  had  already 
set  when  they  took  refuge  there,  and  the  captain  did 
not  care  to  send  his  boats  after  them  in  the  dark,  as 
many  of  the  creeks  ran  up  for  miles  into  the  flat 
country;  and  as  they  not  unfrequently  had  many 
arms  or  branches,  the  boats  might,  in  the  dark,  miss 
the  junkr  altogether.  Orders  were  issued  that  four 
boats  should  be  ready  for  starting  at  daybreak  the 
next  morning.  The  Perseus  anchored  off  the 
mouth  of  the  creek,  and  two  boats  were  ordered  to 


942  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

row  backwards  and  forwards  off  its  mouth  all  night 
to  insure  that  the  enemy  did  not  slip  out  in  the  dark 
ness. 

Jack  Fothergill,  the  senior  midshipman,  was  com 
manding  the  gig,  and  two  of  the  other  midshipmen 
were  going  in  the  pinnace  and  launch,  commanded 
respectively  by  the  first  lieutenant  and  the  master. 
The  three  other  midshipmen  of  the  Perseus  were 
loud  in  their  lamentations  that  they  were  not  to  take 
share  in  the  fun. 

"  You  can't  all  go,  you  know,"  Fothergill  said, 
"  and  it's  no  use  making  a  row  about  it ;  the  captain 
has  been  very  good  to  let  three  of  us  go." 

"  It's  all  very  well  for  you,  Jack,"  Percy  Adcock, 
the  youngest  of  the  lads,  replied,  "  because  you  are 
one  of  those  chosen;  and  it  is  not  so  hard  for  Sim 
mons  and  Linthorpe,  because  they  went  the  other 
day  in  the  boat  that  chased  those  junks  under  shelter 
of  the  guns  of  their  battery,  but  I  haven't  had  a 
chance  for  ever  so  long." 

"What  fun  was  there  in  chasing  the  junks?" 
Simmons  said.  "  We  never  got  near  the  brutes  till 
they  were  close  to  their  battery,  and  then  just  as  the 
first  shot  came  singing  from  their  guns,  and  we 
thought  that  we  were  going  to  have  some  excite 
ment,  the  first  lieutenant  sung  out  '  Easy  all,'  and 
there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  turn  round  and  to 
row  for  the  ship,  and  a  nice  hot  row  it  was — two 
hours  and  a  half  in  a  broiling  sun.  Of  course  I  am 


Id  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  243 

not  blaming  Oliphant,  for  the  captain's  orders  were 
Strict  that  we  were  not  to  try  to  cut  the  junks  out  if 
they  got  under  the  guns  of  any  of  their  batteries. 
Still  it  was  horribly  annoying,  and  I  do  think  the 
captain  might  have  remembered  what  beastly  luck 
we  had  last  time,  and  given  us  a  chance  to-morrow." 

"  It  is  clear  we  could  not  all  go,"  Fothergill  said, 
"  and  naturally  enough  the  captain  chose  the  three 
seniors.  Besides,  if  you  did  have  bad  luck  last  time, 
you  had  your  chance,  and  I  don't  suppose  we  shall 
have  anything  more  exciting  now;  these  fellows  al 
ways  set  fire  to  their  junks  and  row  for  the  shore 
directly  they  see  us,  after  firing  a  shot  or  two  wildly 
in  our  direction." 

"  Well,  Jack,  if  you  don't  expect  any  fun,"  Sim 
mons  replied,  "  perhaps  you  wouldn't  mind  telling 
the  first  lieutenant  you  do  not  care  for  going,  and 
that  I  am  very  anxious  to  take  your  place.  Per 
haps  he  will  be  good  enough  to  allow  me  to  relieve 
you." 

"A  likely  thing  that!"  Fothergill  laughed. 
"  No,  Tom,  I  am  sorry  you  are  not  going,  but  you 
must  make  the  best  of  it  till  another  chance  comes." 

"  Don't  you  think,  Jack,"  Percy  Adcock  said  to 
his  senior  in  a  coaxing  tone  later  on,  "  you  could 
manage  to  smuggle  me  into  the  boat  with  you  ?  " 

"  Not  I,  Percy.  Suppose  you  got  hurt,  what 
would  the  captain  say  then?  And  firing  as  wildly 
as  the  Chinese  do,  a  shot  is  just  as  likely  to  hit  your 


•44  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

little  carcass  as  to  lodge  in  one  of  the  sailors. 
you  must  just  make  the  best  of  it,  Percy,  and  I 
promise  you  that  next  time  there  is  a  boat  expedi 
tion,  if  you  are  not  put  in,  I  will  say  a  good  word  to 
the  first  luff  for  you." 

"  That  promise  is  better  than  nothing,"  the  boy 
said;  "  but  I  would  a  deal  rather  go  this  time  and 
take  my  chance  next." 

"  But  you  see  you  can't,  Percy,  and  there's  no  use 
talking  any  more  about  it.  I  really  do  not  expect 
there  will  be  any  fighting.  Two  junks  would  hardly 
make  any  opposition  to  the  boats  of  the  ship,  and  I 
expect  we  shall  be  back  by  nine  o'clock  with  the 
news  that  they  were  well  on  fire  before  we  came  up." 

Percy  Adcock,  however,  was  determined,  if  pos 
sible,  to  go.  He  was  a  favorite  among  the  men,  and 
when  he  spoke  to  the  bow  oar  of  the  gig  the  latter 
promised  to  do  anything  he  could  to  aid  him  to  carry 
out  his  wishes. 

"  We  are  to  start  at  daybreak,  Tom,  so  that  it 
will  be  quite  dark  when  the  boats  are  lowered.  I 
will  creep  into  the  gig  before  that  and  hide  myself 
as  well  as  I  can  under  your  thwart,  and  all  you  have 
got  to  do  is  to  take  no  notice  of  me.  When  the  boat 
is  lowered  I  thirk  they  will  hardly  make  me  out  from 
the  deck,  especially  as  you  will  be  standing  up  in  the 
bow  holding  en  with  the  boat-hook  till  the  rest  get 
on  board." 

"Well,  sir,  I  will  do  my  best;  but  if  you  arc 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  545 

caught  you  must  not  let  out  that  I  knew  anything 
about  it." 

"  I  won't  do  that,"  Percy  said.  "  I  don't  think 
there  is  much  chance  of  my  being  noticed  until  we 
get  on  board  the  junks,  and  then  they  won't  know 
which  boat  I  came  off  in,  and  the  first  lieutenant  will 
be  too  busy  to  blow  me  up.  Of  course  I  shall  get  it 
when  I  am  on  board  again,  but  I  don't  mind  that  so 
that  I  see  the  fun.  Besides,  I  want  to  send  home 
some  things  to  my  sister,  and  she  will  like  them  all 
the  better  if  I  can  tell  her  I  captured  them  on  board 
sume  junks  we  seized  and  burnt." 

The  next  morning  the  crews  mustered  before  day 
break.  Percy  had  already  taken  his  place  under  the 
bow  thwart  of  the  gig.  The  davits  were  swung 
overboard,  end  two  men  took  their  places  in  her  as 
she  was  lowered  down  by  the  falls.  As  soon  as  she 
touched  the  water  the  rest  of  the  crew  clambered 
down  by  the  ladder  and  took  their  places;  then 
Fothergill  took  his  seat  in  the  stern,  and  the  boat 
pushed  off  and  lay  a  few  lengths  away  from  the  ship 
until  the  heavier  boats  put  off.  As  soon  as  they 
were  under  way  Percy  crawled  out  from  his  hiding-* 
place  and  placed  himself  in  the  bow,  where  he  was 
sheltered  by  the  body  of  the  oarsmen  from  Fother- 
gill's  sight. 

Day  was  just  breaking  now,  but  it  was  still  dark 
on  the  water,  and  the  boat  rowed  very  slowly  until 
it  became  lighter.  Percy  could  just  make  out  the 


»46  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

shores  of  the  creek  on  both  sides;  they  were  but  two 
or  three  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water,  and  were 
evidently  submerged  at  high  tide.  The  creek  was 
about  a  hundred  yards  wide,  and  the  lad  could  not 
see  far  ahead,  for  it  was  full  of  sharp  windings  and 
turnings.  Here  and  there  branches  joined  it,  but 
the  boats  were  evidently  following  the  main  channel. 
After  another  half-hour's  rowing  the  first  lieutenant 
suddenly  gave  the  order  "  Easy  all,"  and  the  men, 
looking  over  their  shoulders,  saw  a  village  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  ahead,  with  the  two  junks  they  had  chased 
the  night  before  lying  in  front  of  it.  Almost  at  the 
same  moment  a  sudden  uproar  was  heard — drums 
were  beaten  and  gongs  sounded. 

"  They  are  on  the  lookout  for  us,"  the  first  lieu 
tenant  said.  "  Mr.  Mason,  do  you  keep  with  me 
and  attack  the  junk  highest  up  the  river;  Mr.  Bellew 
and  Mr.  Fothergill,  do  you  take  the  one  lower  down. 
Row  on,  men." 

The  oars  all  touched  the  water  together  and,  the 
four  boats  leaped  forward.  In  a  minute  a  scattering 
fire  of  gingals  and  matchlocks  was  opened  from  the 
junks  and  the  bullets  pattered  on  the  water  round 
the  boats.  Percy  was  kneeling  up  in  the  bow  now. 
As  they  passed  a  branch  channel  three  or  four  hun 
dred  yards  from  the  village,  he  started  and  leaped  to 
his  feet. 

'  There  are  four  or  five  junks  in  that  passage, 
Fothergill;  they  are  poling  out" 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  247 

The  first  lieutenant  heard  the  words. 

"Row  on,  men;  let  us  finish  with  these  craft 
ahead  before  the  others  get  out.  This  must  be  that 
piratical  village  we  have  heard  about,  Mr.  Mason, 
as  lying  up  one  of  these  creeks;  that  accounts  foe 
those  two  junks  not  going  higher  up.  I  was  sur 
prised  at  seeing  them  here,  for  they  might  guess  that 
we  should  try  to  get  them  this  morning.  Evidently 
they  calculated  on  catching  us  in  a  trap." 

Percy  was  delighted  at  finding  that,  in  the  excite 
ment  caused  by  his  news,  the  first  lieutenant  had  for 
gotten  to  take  any  notice  of  his  being  there  without 
orders,  and  he  returned  a  defiant  nod  to  the  threat 
conveyed  by  Fothergill  shaking  his  fist  at  him.  As 
they  neared  the  junks  the  fire  of  those  on  board  re 
doubled,  and  was  aided  by  that  of  many  villagers 
gathered  on  the  bank  of  the  creek.  Suddenly  from 
a  bank  of  rushes  four  cannons  were  fired.  A  ball 
struck  the  pinnace,  smashing  in  her  side.  The  other 
boats  gathered  hastily  round  and  took  her  crew  on 
board,  and  then  dashed  at  the  junks,  which  were  but 
a  hundred  yards  distant.  The  valor  of  the  Chinese 
evaporated  as  they  saw  the  boats  approaching,  and 
scores  of  them  leaped  overboard  and  swam  for  shore. 

In  another  minute  the  boats  were  alongside  and 
the  crews  scrambling  up  the  sides  of  the  junks,  A 
few  Chinamen  only  attempted  to  oppose  them. 
These  were  speedily  overcome,  and  the  British  had 
now  time  to  look  round,  and  saw  that  six  junks 


248  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

crowded  with  men  had  issued  from  the  side  creek 
and  were  making  towards  them. 

"Let  the  boats  tow  astern,"  the  lieutenant 
ordered.  "  We  should  have  to  run  the  gantlet  of 
that  battery  on  shore  if  we  were  to  attack  them,  and 
might  lose  another  boat  before  we  reached  their  side. 
We  will  fight  them  here." 

The  junks  approached,  those  on  board  firing  their 
guns,  yelling  and  shouting,  while  the  drums  and 
gongs  were  furiously  beaten. 

"They  will  find  themselves  mistaken,  Percy,  if 
they  think  they  are  going  to  frighten  us  with  all  that 
row,"  Fothergill  said.  "  You  young  rascal,  how 
did  you  get  on  board  the  boat  without  being  seen  ? 
The  captain  will  be  sure  to  suspect  I  had  a  hand  in 
concealing  you." 

The  tars  were  now  at  work  firing  the  gingals  at 
tached  to  the  bulwarks  and  the  matchlocks  with 
which  the  deck  was  strewn,  at  the  approaching  junks. 
As  they  took  steady  aim,  leaning  their  pieces  on  the 
bulwarks,  they  did  considerable  execution  among 
the  Chinamen  crowded  on  board  the  junks,  while  the 
shot  of  the  Chinese,  for  the  most  part,  whistled  far 
overhead;  but  the  guns  of  the  shore  battery,  which 
had  now  slewed  round  to  bear  upon  them,  opened 
with  a  better  aim,  and  several  shots  came  crashing 
into  the  sides  of  the  two  captured  junks. 

"  Get  ready  to  board,  lads !  "  Lieutenant  Oliphant 
shouted.  "  Don't  wait  for  them  to  board  you,  but 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  249 

the  moment  they  come  alongside  lash  their  rigging 
to  ours  and  spring  on  board  them." 

The  leading  junk  was  now  about  twenty  yards 
eway,  and  presently  grated  alongside.  Half-a- 
dozen  sailors  at  once  sprang  into  her  rigging  with 
ropes,  and  after  lashing  the  junks  together  leaped 
down  upon  her  deck,  where  Fothergill  was  leading 
the  gig's  crew  and  some  of  those  rescued  from  the 
pinnace,  while  Mr.  Bellew,  with  another  party,  had 
boarded  her  at  the  stern.  Several  of  the  Chinese 
fought  stoutly,  but  the  greater  part  lost  heart  at  see 
ing  themselves  attacked  by  the  "  white  devils,"  in 
stead  of,  as  they  expected,  overwhelming  them  by 
their  superior  numbers.  Many  began  at  once  to 
jump  overboard,  and  after  two  or  three  minutes' 
sharp  fighting  the  rest  either  followed  their  example 
Or  were  beaten  below. 

Fothergill  looked  round.  The  other  junk  had 
been  attacked  by  two  of  the  enemy,  one  on  each  side, 
and  the  little  body  of  sailors  were  gathered  in  her 
waist,  and  were  defending  themselves  against  an 
overwhelming  number  of  the  enemy.  The  other 
three  piratical  junks  had  been  carried  somewhat  up 
the  creek  by  the  tide  that  was  sweeping  inward, 
and  could  not  for  the  moment  take  part  in  the 
fight. 

"  Mr.  Oliphant  is  hard  pressed,  sir."  He  asked 
the  master:  "  Shall  we  take  to  the  boats?  " 

"  That  will  be  the  best  plan,"  Mr.  Bellew  replied. 


25o  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

"  Quick,  lads,  get  the  boats  alongside  and  tumble  in; 
there  is  not  a  moment  to  be  lost." 

The  crew  at  once  sprang  to  the  boats  and  rowed 
to  the  other  junk,  which  was  but  some  thirty  yards 
away. 

The  Chinese,  absorbed  in  their  contest  with  the 
crew  of  the  pinnace,  did  not  perceive  the  newcomers 
until  they  gained  the  deck,  and  with  a  shout  fell 
furiously  upon  them.  In  their  surprise  and  conster 
nation  the  pirates  did  not  pause  to  note  that  they 
were  still  five  to  one  superior  in  number,  but  made 
a  precipitate  rush  for  their  own  vessels.  The  Eng 
lish  at  once  took  the  offensive.  The  first  lieutenant 
with  his  party  boarded  one,  while  the  newcomers 
leaped  on  to  the  deck  of  the  other.  The  panic  which 
had  seized  the  Chinese  was  so  complete  that  they 
attempted  no  resistance  whatever,  but  sprang  over 
board  in  great  numbers  and  swam  to  the  shore, 
which  was  but  twenty  yards  away,  and  in  three 
minutes  the  English  were  in  undisputed  possession 
of  both  vessels. 

"  Back  again,  Mr.  Fothergill,  or  you  will  lose  the 
craft  you  captured,"  Lieutenant  Oliphant  said; 
"  they  have  already  cut  her  free." 

The  Chinese,  indeed,  who  had  been  beaten  below 
by  the  boarding  party,  had  soon  perceived  the  sud 
den  departure  of  their  captors,  and  gaining  the  deck 
again  had  cut  the  lashings  which  fastened  them  to 
the  other  junk,  and  were  proceeding  to  hoist  their 


A  BRUSR  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  251 

sails.  They  were  too  late,  however.  Almost  be 
fore  the  craft  had  way  on  her  Fothergill  and  his 
crew  were  alongside.  The  Chinese  did  not  wait  for 
the  attack,  but  at  once  sprang  overboard  and  made 
for  the  shore.  The  other  three  junks,  seeing  the 
capture  of  their  comrades,  had  already  hoisted  their 
sails  and  were  making  up  the  creek.  Fothergill 
dropped  an  anchor,  left  four  of  his  men  in  charge, 
and  rowed  back  to  Mr.  OliphanL 

"  What  shall  we  do  next,  sir?  " 

"  We  will  give  those  fellows  on  shore  a  lesson, 
and  silence  their  battery.  Two  men  have  been  killed 
since  you  left.  We  must  let  the  other  junks  go  foi 
the  present.  Four  of  my  men  were  killed  and 
eleven  wounded  before  Mr.  Bellew  and  you  came  to 
our  assistance.  The  Chinese  were  fighting  pluckily 
up  to  that  time,  and  it  would  have  gone  very  hard 
with  us  if  you  had  not  been  at  hand;  the  beggars 
will  fight  when  they  think  they  have  got  it  all  thetr 
own  way.  But  before  we  land  we  will  set  fire  to 
the  five  junks  we  have  taken.  Do  you  return  and 
see  that  the  two  astern  are  well  lighted,  Mr.  Fother 
gill  ;  Mr.  Mason  will  see  to  these  three.  When  you 
have  done  your  work  take  to  your  boat  and  lay  off 
till  I  join  you;  keep  the  junks  between  you  and  the 
shore,  to  protect  you  from  the  fire  of  the  rascals." 

"  I  cannot  come  with  you,  I  suppose,  Fothergill  ?  " 
Percy  Adcock  said,  as  the  midshipman  was  about 
to  descend  into  his  boat  again. 


352  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

"  Yes,  come  along,  Percy.  It  doesn't  matter  what 
you  do  now.  The  captain  will  be  so  pleased  when 
he  hears  that  we  have  captured  and  burnt  five  junks, 
that  you  will  get  off  with  a  very  light  wigging,  I 
imagine." 

"  That's  just  what  I  was  thinking,  Jack.  Has  it 
not  been  fun  ?  " 

"  You  wouldn't  have  thought  it  fun  if  you  had 
got  one  of  those  matchlock  balls  in  your  body. 
There  are  a  good  many  of  our  poor  fellows  just  at 
the  present  moment  who  do  not  see  anything  funny 
in  the  affair  at  all.  Here  we  are;  clamber  up." 

The  crew  soon  set  to  work  under  Fothergill's 
orders.  The  sails  were  cut  off  the  masts  and  thrown 
down  into  the  hold;  bamboos,  of  which  there  were 
an  abundance  down  there,  were  heaped  over  them, 
a  barrel  of  oil  was  poured  over  the  mass,  ?nd  the 
fire  then  applied. 

"  That  will  do,  lads.  Now  take  to  your  V>ats  and 
let's  make  a  bonfire  of  the  other  junk." 

In  ten  minutes  both  vessels  were  a  sheet  of  flame, 
and  the  boat  was  lying  a  short  distance  from  them 
waiting  for  further  operations.  The  inhabitants  of 
the  village,  furious  at  the  failure  of  the  plan  which 
had  been  laid  for  the  destruction  of  the  "  white 
devils,"  kept  up  a  constant  fusillade,  which,  however, 
did  no  harm,  for  the  gig  was  completely  sheltered 
by  the  burning  junks  close  to  her  from  their 
missiles. 


A  BRUSH  WITH  .  7/£  CHINESE.  253 

"  There  go  the  others! "  Percy  exclahned  after  a 
minute  or  two,  as  three  columns  of  smoke  arose 
simultaneously  from  the  other  junks,  and  the  sailors 
were  seen  dropping  into  their  boats  alongside. 

The  killed  and  wounded  were  placed  in  the  other 
gig  with  four  sailors  in  charge.  They  were  directed 
to  keep  under  shelter  of  the  junks  until  rejoined  by 
the  pinnace  and  Fothergill's  gig,  after  these  had 
done  their  work  on  shore. 

When  all  was  ready  the  first  lieutenant  raised  his 
hand  as  a  signal,  and  the  two  boats  dashed  between 
the  burning  junks  and  rowed  for  the  shore.  Such 
of  the  natives  as  had  their  weapons  charged  fired  a 
hasty  volley,  and  then,  as  the  sailors  leapt  from  their 
boats,  took  to  their  heels. 

"  Mr.  Fothergill,  take  your  party  into  the  village 
and  set  fire  to  the  houses;  shoot  down  every  man 
you  see.  This  place  is  a  nest  of  pirates.  I  will  cap 
ture  that  battery  and  then  join  you." 

Fothergill  and  his  sailors  at  once  entered  the  vil 
lage.  The  men  had  already  fled;  the  women  were 
turned  out  of  the  houses,  and  these  were  immedi 
ately  set  on  fire.  The  tars  regarded  the  whole  affair 
as  a  glorious  joke,  and  raced  from  house  to  house, 
making  a  hasty  search  in  each  for  concealed  valua 
bles  before  setting  it  on  fire.  In  a  short  time  the 
whole  village  was  in  a  blaze. 

"  There  is  a  house  there,  standing  in  that  little 
grove  a  hundred  yards  away,"  Percy  said. 


*54  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

"  It  looks  like  a  temple,"  Fothergill  replied. 
"  However,  we  will  have  a  look  at  it."  And  calling 
two  sailors  to  accompany  him,  he  started  at  a  run 
towards  it,  Percy  keeping-  by  his  side. 

"  It  is  a  temple,"  Fothergill  said  when  they  ap 
proached  it.  "  Still,  we  will  have  a  look  at  it,  but 
we  won't  burn  it ;  it  will  be  as  well  to  respect  the  re 
ligion,  even  of  a  set  of  piratical  scoundrels  like 
these." 

At  the  head  of  his  men  he  rushed  in  at  the  en 
trance.  There  was  a  blaze  of  fire  as  half  a  dozen 
muskets  were  discharged  in  their  faces.  One  of  the 
sailors  dropped  dead,  and  before  the  others  had  time 
to  realize  what  had  happened  they  were  beaten  to  the 
ground  by  a  storm  of  blows  from  swords  and  other 
weapons. 

A  heavy  blow  crashed  down  on  Percy's  head,  and 
he  fell  insensible  even  before  he  realized  what  had 
occurred. 

When  he  recovered,  his  first  sensation  was  that  of 
a  vague  wonder  as  to  what  had  happened  to  him. 
He  seemed  to  be  in  darkness  and  unable  to  move 
hand  or  foot.  He  was  compressed  in  some  way  that 
he  could  not  at  first  understand,  and  was  being 
bumped  and  jolted  in  an  extraordinary  manner.  It 
was  some  little  time  before  he  could  understand  the 
situation.  He  first  remembered  the  fight  with  the 
junks,  then  he  recalled  the  landing  and  burning  the 
village;  then,  as  his  brain  cleared,  came  the  recol- 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  255 

lection  of  his  start  with  Fothergill  for  the  temple 
among  the  trees,  his  arrival  there,  and  a  loud  report 
and  flash  of  fire. 

"  I  must  have  been  knocked  down  and  stunned,"* 
he  said  to  himself,  "  and  I  suppose  I  am  a  prisoner 
now  to  these  brutes,  and  one  of  them  must  be  carry 
ing  me  on  his  back." 

Yes,  he  could  understand  it  all  now.  His  hands 
and  his  feet  were  tied,  ropes  were  passed  round  his 
body  in  every  direction,  and  he  was  fastened  back 
to  back  upon  the  shoulders  of  a  Chinaman.  Percy 
remembered  the  tales  he  had  heard  of  the  imprison 
ment  and  torture  of  those  who  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Chinese,  and  he  bitterly  regretted  that  he  had 
not  been  killed  instead  of  stunned  in  the  surprise  of 
the  temple. 

"  It  would  have  been  just  the  same  feeling,"  he 
said  to  himself,  "  and  there  would  have  been  an  end 
of  it.  Now  there  is  no  saying  what  is  going  to  hap-, 
pen.  I  wonder  whether  Jack  was  killed,  and  the 
•ailors." 

Presently  there  was  a  jabber  of  voices;  the  mo 
tion  ceased.  Percy  could  feel  that  the  cords  were 
being  unwound,  and  he  was  dropped  on  to  his  feet; 
then  the  cloth  was  removed  from  his  head,  and  he 
could  look  around. 

A  dozen  Chinese,  armed  with  matchlocks  and 
bristling  with  swords  and  daggers,  stood  around, 
and  among  them,  bound  like  himself  and  gagged  by 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

a  piece  of  bamboo  forced  lengthways  across  his 
mouth  and  kept  there  with  a  string  going  round 
the  back  of  the  head,  stood  Fothergill.  He  was 
bleeding  from  several  cuts  in  the  head.  Percy's 
heart  gave  a  bound  of  joy  at  finding  that  he  was 
not  alone;  then  he  tried  to  feel  sorry  that  Jack  had 
not  escaped,  but  failed  to  do  so,  although  he  told 
himself  that  his  comrade's  presence  would  not  in  any 
way  alleviate  the  fate  which  was  certain  to  befall 
him.  Still  the  thought  of  companionship,  even  in 
wretchedness,  and  perhaps  a  vague  hope  that  Jack, 
with  his  energy  and  spirit,  might  contrive  some  way 
for  their  escape,  cheered  him  up. 

As  Percy,  too,  was  gagged,  no  word  could  be  ex 
changed  by  the  midshipmen,  but  they  nodded  to  each 
other.  They  were  now  put  side  by  side  and  made 
to  walk  in  the  center  of  their  captors.  On  the  way 
they  passed  through  several  villages,  whose  in 
habitants  poured  out  to  gaze  at  the  captives,  but  the 
men  in  charge  of  them  were  evidently  not  disposed 
to  delay,  as  they  passed  through  without  a  stop.  At 
last  they  halted  before  two  cottages  standing  by 
themselves,  thrust  the  prisoners  into  a  small  room, 
removed  their  gags,  and  left  them  entirely  to  them 
selves. 

"  Well,  Percy,  my  boy,  so  they  caught  you  too? 
I  am  awfully  sorry.  It  was  my  fault  for  going  with 
only  two  men  into  that  temple,  but  as  the  village  had 
been  deserted  and  scarcely  a  man  was  found  there,  it 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  257 

never  entered  my  mind  that  there  might  be  a  party 
in  the  temple." 

"  Of  course  not,  Jack;  it  was  a  surprise  altogether. 
I  don't  know  anything  about  it,  for  I  was  knocked 
down,  I  suppose,  just  oc  we  went  in,  and  the  first 
thing  I  knew  about  it  was  that  I  was  being  carried 
on  the  back  of  one  of  those  fellows.  I  thought  it 
was  awful  at  first,  but  I  don't  seem  to  mind  so  much 
n  DW  you  are  with  me." 

"  It  is  a  comfort  to  have  someone  to  speak  to," 
Jack  said,  "  yet  I  wish  you  were  not  here,  Percy;  I 
;an't  do  you  any  good,  and  I  shall  never  cease  blam 
ing  myself  for  having  brought  you  into  this  scrape. 
I  don't  know  much  more  about  the  affair  than  you 
do.  The  guns  were  fired  so  close  to  us  that  my  face 
was  scorched  with  one  of  them,  and  almost  at  the 
same  instant  I  got  a  lick  across  my  cheek  with  a 
sword.  T  had  just  time  to  hit  at  one  of  them,  and 
ti:^n  almost  at  the  same  moment  I  got  two  or  three 
other  blows,  and  down  I  went;  they  threw  themselves 
on  the  top  of  me  and  tied  and  gagged  me  in  no  time. 
Then  I  was  tied  to  a  long  bamboo,  and  two  fellows 
put  the  ends  on  their  shoulders  and  went  off  with  me 
through  the  fields.  Of  course  I  was  face  down 
wards,  and  did  not  know  you  were  with  us  till  they 
stopped  and  loosed  me  from  the  bamboo  and  set  me 
on  my  feet." 

"  But  what  are  they  going  to  do  with  us,  do  you 
think,  Jack?" 


•5  8  J  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

"  I  should  say  they  are  going  to  take  us  to  Canton 
and  claim  a  reward  for  our  capture,  and  there  I  sup 
pose  they  will  cut  off  our  heads  or  saw  us  in  two,  or 
put  us  to  some  other  unpleasant  kind  of  death.  I 
expect  they  are  discussing  it  now ;  do  you  hear  what 
a  jabber  they  are  kicking  up?  " 

Voices  were  indeed  heard  raised  in  angry  alter 
cation  in  the  next  room.  After  a  time  the  din  sub 
sided  and  the  conversation  appeared  to  take  a  more 
amiable  turn. 

"  I  suppose  they  have  settled  it  as  far  as  they  are 
concerned,"  Jack  said;  "  anyhow,  you  may  be  quite 
sure  they  mean  to  make  something  out  of  us.  If 
they  hadn't  they  would  have  finished  us  at  once,  for 
they  must  have  been  furious  at  the  destruction  of 
their  junks  and  village.  As  to  the  idea  that  mercy 
has  anything  to  do  with  it,  we  may  as  well  put  it  out 
of  our  minds.  The  Chinaman,  at  the  best  of  times, 
has  no  feeling  of  pity  in  his  nature,  and  after  their 
defeat  it  is  certain  they  would  have  killed  us  at  once 
had  they  not  hoped  to  do  better  by  us.  If  they  had 
been  Indians  I  should  have  said  they  had  carried  us 
off  to  enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  torturing  us,  but  I 
don't  suppose  it  is  that  with  them." 

"  Do  you  think  there  is  any  chance  of  our  getting 
away?"  Percy  asked,  after  a  pause. 

"  I  should  say  not  the  least  in  the  world,  Percy. 
My  hands  are  fastened  so  tight  now  that  the  ropes 
seem  cutting  into  my  wrists,  and  after  they  had  set 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  259 

me  on  my  feet  and  cut  the  cords  of  my  legs  I  could 
scarcely  stand  at  first,  my  feet  were  so  numbed  by 
the  pressure.  However,  we  must  keep  up  our  pluck. 
Possibly  they  may  keep  us  at  Canton  for  a  bit,  and 
if  they  do  the  squadron  may  arrive  and  fight  its  way 
past  the  forts  and  take  the  city  before  they  have  quite 
made  up  their  minds  as  to  what  kind  of  death  will 
be  most  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  I  wonder  what 
they  are  doing  now?  They  seem  to  be  chopping 
sticks." 

"  I  wish  they  would  give  us  some  water,"  Percy 
said.  "  I  am  frightfully  thirsty." 

"  And  so  am  I,  Percy;  there  is  one  comfort,  they 
won't  let  us  die  of  thirst,  they  could  get  no  satisfac 
tion  out  of  our  deaths  now." 

Two  hours  later  some  of  the  Chinese  re-entered 
the  room  and  led  the  captives  outside,  and  the  lads 
then  saw  what  was  the  meaning  of  the  noise  they 
had  heard.  A  cage  had  been  manufactured  of 
strong  bamboos.  It  was  about  four  and  a  half  feet 
long,  four  feet  wide,  and  less  than  three  feet  high; 
above  it  was  fastened  two  long  bamboos.  Two  or 
three  of  the  bars  of  the  cage  had  been  left  open. 

"  My  goodness !  they  never  intend  to  put  us  in 
there,"  Percy  exclaimed. 

"  That  they  do,"  Jack  said.  "  They  are  going  to 
carry  us  the  rest  of  the  way." 

The  cords  which  bound  the  prisoners'  hands  were 
now  cut,  and  they  were  motioned  to  crawl  into  the 


a6o  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

cage.  This  they  did;  the  bars  were  then  put  in  their 
places  and  securely  lashed.  Four  men  went  to  the 
ends  of  the  poles  and  lifted  the  cage  upon  their  shoul 
ders;  two  others  took  their  places  beside  it,  and  one 
man,  apparently  the  leader  of  the  party,  walked  on 
ahead;  the  rest  remained  behind. 

"  I  never  quite  realized  what  a  fowl  felt  in  a  coop 
before,"  Jack  said,  "  but  if  its  sensations  are  at  all 
like  mine  they  must  be  decidedly  unpleasant.  It 
isn't  high  enough  to  sit  upright  in,  it  is  nothing  like 
long  enough  to  lie  down,  and  as  to  getting  out  one 
might  as  well  think  of  flying.  Do  you  know,  Percy, 
I  don't  think  they  mean  taking  us  to  Canton  at  all. 
I  did  not  think  of  it  before,  but  from  the  direction  of 
the  sun  I  feel  sure  that  we  cannot  have  been  going 
that  way.  What  they  are  up  to  I  can't  imagine." 

In  an  hour  they  came  to  a  large  village.  Here 
the  cage  was  set  down  and  the  villagers  closed  round. 
They  were,  however,  kept  a  short  distance  from  the 
cage  by  the  men  in  charge  of  it.  Then  a  wooden 
platter  was  placed  on  the  ground,  and  persons  throw 
ing  a  few  copper  coins  into  this  were  allowed  to  come 
near  the  cage. 

"  They  are  making  a  show  of  us !  "  Fothergill  ex 
claimed.  "  That's  what  they  are  up  to,  you  see  if 
it  isn't ;  they  are  going  to  travel  up  country  to  show 
the  '  white  devils  '  whom  their  valor  has  captured." 

This  was,  indeed,  the  purpose  of  the  pirates.  At 
that  time  Europeans  seldom  ventured  beyond  the 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  a6l 

limits  assigned  to  them  in  the  two  or  three  towns 
where  they  were  permitted  to  trade,  and  few,  indeed, 
of  the  country  people  had  ever  obtained  a  sight  of 
the  white  barbarians  of  whose  doings  they  had  so 
frequently  heard.  Consequently  a  small  crowd 
soon  gathered  round  the  cage,  eying  the  captives 
with  the  same  interest  they  would  have  felt  as  to  un 
known  and  dangerous  beasts;  they  laughed  and 
joked,  passed  remarks  upon  them,  and  even  poked 
them  with  sticks.  Fothergill,  furious  at  this  treat 
ment,  caught  one  of  the  sticks,  and  wrenching  it 
from  the  hands  of  the  Chinaman  tried  to  strike  at 
him  through  the  bars,  a  proceeding  which  excited 
shouts  of  laughter  from  the  bystanders. 

"  I  think,  Jack,"  Percy  said,  "  it  will  be  best  to 
try  and  keep  our  tempers  and  not  to  seem  to  mind 
what  they  do  to  us,  then  if  they  find  they  can't  get 
any  fun  out  of  us  they  will  soon  leave  us  alone." 

"  Of  course,  that's  the  best  plan,"  Fothergill 
agreed,  "  but  it's  not  so  easy  to  follow.  That  fellow 
very  nearly  poked  out  my  eye  with  his  stick,  and  no 
one's  going  to  stand  that  if  he  can  help  it." 

It  was  some  hours  before  the  curiosity  of  the  vil 
lage  was  satisfied.  When  all  had  paid  who  were 
likely  to  do  so,  the  guards  broke  up  their  circle,  and 
leaving  two  of  their  number  at  the  cage  to  see  that 
no  actual  harm  was  caused  to  their  prisoners,  the  rest 
went  off  to  a  refreshment  house.  The  place  of  the 
elders  was  now  taken  by  the  boys  and  children  of  the 


262  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

village,  who  crowded  round  the  cage,  prodded  the 
prisoners  with  sticks,  and,  putting  their  hands 
through  the  bars,  pulled  their  ears  and  hair.  This 
amusement,  however,  was  brought  to  an  abrupt  con 
clusion  by  Fothergiii  suddenly  seizing  the  wrist  of  a 
big  boy  and  pulling  his  arm  through  the  cage  until 
his  face  was  against  the  bars;  then  he  proceeded  to 
punch  him  until  the  guard,  coming  to  his  rescue, 
poked  Fothergiii  with  his  stick  until  he  released  his 
hold. 

The  punishment  of  their  comrade  excited  neither 
anger  nor  resentment  among  the  other  boys,  who 
yelled  with  delight  at  his  discomfiture,  but  it  made 
them  more  careful  in  approaching  the  cage,  and 
though  they  continued  to  poke  the  prisoners  with 
sticks  they  did  not  venture  again  to  thrust  a  hand 
through  the  bars.  At  sunset  the  guards  again  came 
round,  lifted  the  cage  and  carried  it  into  a  shed. 
A  platter  of  dirty  rice  and  a  jug  of  water  were  put 
into  the  cage;  two  of  the  men  lighted  their  long 
pipes  and  sat  down  on  guard  beside  it,  and,  the  doors 
being  closed,  the  captives  were  left  in  peace. 

"  If  this  sort  of  thing  is  to  go  on,  as  I  suppose  it 
is,"  Fothergiii  said,  "the  sooner  they  cut  off  our 
heads  the  better." 

"  It  is  very  bad,  Jack.  I  am  sore  all  over  with 
those  probes  from  their  sharp  sticks." 

"  I  don't  care  for  the  pain,  Percy,  so  much  as  the 
humiliation  of  the  thing.  To  be  stared  at  and  poked 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  263 

at  as  if  we  were  wild  beasts  by  these  curs,  when  with 
half  a  dozen  of  our  men  we  could  send  a  hundred  of 
them  scampering,  I  feel  as  if  I  could  choke  with 
rage." 

"  You  had  better  try  and  eat  some  of  this  rice, 
Jack.  It  is  beastly,  but  I  dare  say  we  shall  get  no 
more  until  to-morrow  night,  and  we  must  keep  up 
our  strength  if  we  can.  At  any  rate,  the  water  is 
not  bad,  that's  a  comfort." 

"  No  thanks  to  them,"  Jack  growled.  "  If  there 
had  been  any  bad  water  in  the  neighborhood  they 
would  have  given  it  to  us." 

For  two  weeks  the  sufferings  of  the  prisoners  con 
tinued.  Their  captors  avoided  towns  where  the 
authorities  would  probably  at  once  have  taken  the 
prisoners  out  of  their  hands.  No  one  would  have 
recognized  the  two  captives  as  the  midshipmen  of 
the  Perseus;  their  clothes  were  in  rags — torn  to 
pieces  by  the  thrusts  of  the  sharp-pointed  bamboos, 
to  which  they  had  daily  been  subjected — the  bad 
food,  the  cramped  position,  and  the  misery  which 
they  suffered  had  worn  both  lads  to  skeletons ;  their 
hair  was  matted  with  filth,  their  faces  begrimed  with 
dirt.  Percy  was  so  weak  that  he  felt  he  could  not 
stand.  Fothergill,  being  three  years  older,  was  less 
exhausted,  but  he  knew  that  he,  too,  could  not  sup 
port  his  sufferings  for  many  days  longer.  Their 
bodies  were  covered  with  sores,  and  try  as  they 
would  they  were  able  to  catch  only  a  few  minutes' 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

sleep  at  a  time  so  much  did  the  bamboo  bars  hurt 
their  wasted  limbs. 

They  seldom  exchanged  a  word  during  the  day 
time,  suffering  in  silence  the  persecutions  to  which 
they  were  exposed,  but  at  night  they  talked  over 
their  homes  and  friends  in  England,  and  their  com 
rades  on  board  ship,  seldom  saying  a  word  as  to  their 
present  position.  They  were  now  in  a  hilly  coun 
try,  but  had  not  the  least  idea  of  the  direction  in 
which  it  lay  from  Canton  or  its  distance  from  the 
coast. 

One  evening  Jack  said  to  his  companion,  "  I  think 
it's  nearly  all  over  now,  Percy.  The  last  two  days 
we  have  made  longer  journeys,  and  have  not  stopped 
at  any  of  the  smaller  villages  we  passed  through.  I 
fancy  our  guards  must  see  that  we  can't  last  much 
longer,  and  are  taking  us  down  to  some  town  to 
hand  us  over  tc  the  authorities  and  get  their  reward 
for  us." 

"  I  hope  it  is  so,  Jack;  the  sooner  the  better.  Not 
that  it  makes  much  difference  now  to  me,  for  I  do 
not  think  I  can  stand  many  more  days  of  it." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  am  tougher  than  you,  Percy,  and 
shall  take  longer  to  kill,  so  I  hope  with  all  my  heart 
that  I  may  be  right,  and  that  they  may  be  going  to 
give  us  up  to  the  authorities." 

The  next  evening  they  stopped  at  a  large  place, 
and  were  subjected  to  the  usual  persecution;  this, 
however,  was  now  less  prolonged  than  during  the 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  26$ 

early  days  of  their  captivity,  for  they  had  now  no 
longer  strength  or  spirits  to  resent  their  treatment, 
And  as  no  fun  was  to  be  obtained  from  passive  vic 
tims,  even  the  village  boys  soon  ceased  to  find  any 
amusement  in  tormenting  them. 

When  most  of  their  visitors  had  left  them,  an 
elderly  Chinaman  approached  the  side  of  the  cage. 
He  spoke  to  their  guard  and  looked  at  them  atten 
tively  for  some  minutes,  then  he  said  in  pigeon  Eng 
lish,  "  You  officer  men?  " 

"  Yes !  "  Jack  exclaimed,  starting  at  the  sound  of 
the  English  words,  the  first  they  had  heard  spoken 
since  their  captivity.  "  Yes,  we  are  officers  of  the 
Perseus/' 

"  Me  speeke  English  velly  well,"  the  Chinaman 
said;  "  me  pilot-man  many  years  on  Canton  River. 
How  you  get  here?  " 

"  We  were  attacking  some  piratical  junks,  and 
landed  to  destroy  the  village  where  the  people  were 
firing  on  us.  We  entered  a  place  full  of  pirates,  and 
were  knocked  down  and  taken  prisoners  and  carried 
away  up  the  country;  that  is  six  weeks  ago,  and  you 
see  what  we  are  now." 

"Pirate  men  velly  bad,"  the  Chinaman  said; 
"plunder  many  junk  on  river  and  kill  crew.  Me 
muchee  hate  them." 

"Can  you  do  anything  for  us?"  Jack  asked. 
*'  You  will  be  well  rewarded  if  you  could  manage  to 
get  us  free," 


«66  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

The  man  shook  his  head. 

"  Me  no  see  what  can  do,  me  stranger  here;  com€ 
to  stay  with  wifey;  people  no  do  what  me  ask  them. 
English  ships  attack  Canton,  much  fight  and  take 
town,  people  all  hate  English.  Bad  country  dis. 
People  in  one  village  fight  against  another.  Velly 
bad  men  here." 

"How  far  is  Canton  away?"  Jack  asked. 
"  Could  you  not  send  down  to  tell  the  English  we 
are  here?" 

"  Fourteen  days'  journey  off,"  the  man  said;  "  no 
see  how  can  do  anything" 

"  Well,"  Jack  said,  "  when  you  get  back  again  to 
Canton  let  our  people  know  what  has  been  the  end 
of  us;  we  shall  not  last  much  longer." 

"  All  light,"  the  man  said;  "  will  see  what  me  can 
do.  Muchee  think  to-night !  "  And  after  saying  a 
few  words  to  the  guards,  who  had  been  regarding 
this  conversation  with  an  air  of  surprise,  the  China 
man  retired. 

The  guards  had  for  some  time  abandoned  the  pre 
caution  of  sitting  up  at  night  by  the  cage,  convinced 
that  their  captives  had  no  longer  strength  to  attempt 
to  break  through  its  fastenings  or  to  drag  themselves 
many  yards  away  if  they  could  do  so.  They  there 
fore  left  it  standing  in  the  open,  and,  wrapping 
themselves  in  their  thickly-wadded  coats,  for  the 
nights  were  cold,  lay  down  by  the  side  of  the  cage. 

The  coolness  of  the  nights  had,  indeed,  assisted  to 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  267 

keep  the  two  prisoners  alive.  During  the  day  the 
sun  was  excessively  hot,  and  the  crowd  of  visitors 
round  the  cage  impeded  the  circulation  of  the  air 
and  added  to  their  sufferings.  It  was  true  that  the 
cold  at  night  frequently  prevented  them  from  sleep 
ing,  but  it  acted  as  a  tonic  and  braced  them  up. 

"  What  did  he  mean  about  the  villages  attacking 
each  other  ?  "  Percy  asked. 

"  I  have  heard,"  Jack  replied,  "  that  in  some  parts 
of  China  things  are  very  much  the  same  as  they  used 
to  be  in  the  highlands  of  Scotland.  There  is  no  law 
or  order.  The  different  villages  are  like  clans,  and 
wage  war  on  each  other.  Sometimes  the  govern 
ment  sends  a  number  of  troops,  who  put  the  thing 
down  for  a  time,  chop  off  a  good  many  heads,  and 
then  march  away,  and  the  whole  work  begins  again 
as  soon  as  their  backs  are  turned." 

That  night  the  uneasy  slumber  of  the  lads  was 
disturbed  by  a  sudden  firing;  shouts  and  yells  were 
heard,  and  the  firing  redoubled. 

"  The  village  is  attacked,"  Jack  said.  "  I  noticed 
that,  like  some  other  places  we  have  come  into  lately, 
there  is  a  strong  earthen  wall  round  it,  with  gates. 
Well,  there  is  one  comfort- — it  does  hot  make  much 
difference  to  us  which  side  wins." 

The  guards  at  the  first  alarm  leaped  to  their  feet, 
caught  up  their  matchlocks,  and  ran  to  aid  in  the 
defense  of  the  walL  (Two  minutes  later  a  man  ran 
up  to  the  cage. 


S68  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

"  All  lightee,"  he  said;  "  just  what  me  hopee." 

With  his  knife  he  cut  the  tough  withes  that  held 
the  bamboos  in  their  places,  and  pulled  out  three  of 
the  bars. 

"  Come  along,"  he  said;  "  no  time  to  lose." 

Jack  scrambled  out,  but  in  trying  to  stand  upright 
gave  a  sharp  exclamation  of  pain.  Percy  crawled 
out  more  slowly;  he  tried  to  stand  up,  but  could  not 
The  Chinaman  caught  him  up  and  threw  him  on  his 
shoulder. 

"  Come  along  quickee,"  he  said  to  Jack;  "  if  takee 
village,  kill  evely  one."  He  set  off  at  a  run.  Jack 
followed  as  fast  as  he  could,  groaning  at  every  step 
from  the  pain  the  movement  caused  to  his  bruised 
body. 

They  went  to  the  side  of  the  village  opposite  to 
that  at  which  the  attack  was  going  on.  They  met 
no  one  on  the  way,  the  inhabitants  having  all  rushed 
to  the  other  side  to  repel  the  attack.  They  stopped 
at  a  small  gate  in  the  wall,  the  Chinaman  drew  back 
the  bolts  and  opened  it,  and  they  passed  out  into  the 
country.  For  an  hour  they  kept  on.  By  the  end  of 
that  time  Jack  could  scarcely  drag  his  limbs  along. 
The  Chinaman  halted  at  length  in  a  clump  of  trees 
surrounded  by  a  thick  undergrowth. 

"  Allee  safee  here,"  he  said,  "  no  searchee  so  far; 
here  food,"  and  he  produced  from  a  wallet  a  cold 
chicken  and  some  boiled  rice,  and  unslung  from  his 
shoulder  a  gourd  filled  with  cold  tea. 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  269 

"  Me  go  back  how,  see  what  happen.  To-mollow 
nightee  come  again — bringee  more  food."  And 
without  another  word  went  off  at  a  rapid  pace. 

Jack  moistened  his  lips  with  the  tea,  and  then 
turned  to  his  companion.  Percy  had  not  spoken  a 
word  since  he  had  been  released  from  the  cage,  and 
had  been  insensible  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
journey.  Jack  poured  some  cold  tea  between  his 
lips. 

"  Cheer  up,  Percy,  old  boy,  we  are  free  now,  and 
with  luck  and  that  good  fellow's  help  we  will  work 
our  way  down  to  Canton  yet." 

"  I  shall  never  get  down  there;  you  may,"  Percy 
said  feebly. 

"  Oh,  nonsense,  you  will  pick  up  strength  like  a 
steam-engine  now  Here,  let  me  prop  you  against 
this  tree.  That's  better.  Now  drink  a  drop  of  this 
tea;  it's  like  nectar  after  that  filthy  water  we  have 
been  drinking.  Now  you  will  feel  better.  Now 
you  must  try  and  eat  a  little  of  this  chicken  and  rice. 
Oh,  nonsense,  you  have  got  to  do  it.  I  am  not  going 
to  let  you  give  way  when  our  trouble  is  just  over. 
Think  of  your  people  at  home,  Percy,  and  make  an 
effort  for  their  sakes.  Good  Heavens !  now  I  think 
of  it,  it  must  be  Christmas  morning.  We  were 
caught  on  the  2d  and  we  have  been  just  twenty-two 
days  on  show.  I  am  sure  that  it  must  be  past  twelve 
o'clock,  and  it  is  Christmas  Day.  It  is  a  good  omen, 
Percy.  This  food  isn't  like  roast  beef  and  pkim 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

pudding,  but  it's  not  to  be  despised,  I  can  tell  you. 
Come,  fire  away,  that's  a  good  fellow." 

Percy  made  an  effort  and  ate  a  few  mouthfuls  of 
rice  and  chicken,  then  he  took  another  draught  of 
tea,  and  lay  down,  and  was  almost  immediately 
asleep. 

Jack  ate  his  food  slowly  and  contentedly  till  he 
finished  half  the  supply,  then  he,  too,  lay  down,  and 
after  a  short  but  hearty  thanksgiving  for  his  escape 
from  a  slow  and  lingering  death,  he  too,  fell  off  to 
sleep.  The  sun  was  rising  when  he  woke,  being 
aroused  by  a  slight  movement  on  the  part  of  Percy; 
he  opened  his  eyes  and  sat  up. 

"Well,  Percy,  how  do  you  feel  this  morning?" 
he  asked  cheerily. 

"I  feel  too  weak  to  move,"  Percy  replied  lan 
guidly. 

"  Oh,  you  will  be  all  right  \vhen  you  have  sat  up 
and  eaten  breakfast,"  Jack  said.  "  Here  you  are; 
here  is  a  wing  for  you,  and  this  rice  is  as  white  a« 
snow,  and  the  tea  is  first-rate.  I  thought  last  night 
after  I  lay  down  that  I  heard  a  murmur  of  water,  so 
after  we  have  had  breakfast  I  will  look  about  and  see 
if  I  can  find  it.  We  should  feel  like  new  men  after 
a  wash.  You  look  awful,  and  I  am  sure  I  am  just 
as  bad." 

The  thought  of  a  wash  inspirited  Percy  far  more 
than  that  of  eating,  and  he  sat  up  and  made  a  great 
effort  to  do  justice  to  breakfast  He  succeeded 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  271 

much  better  than  he  had  done  the  night  before,  and 
Jack,  although  he  pretended  to  grumble,  was  satis 
fied  with  his  companion's  progress,  and  finished  off 
the  rest  of  the  food.  Then  he  set  out  to  search  for 
water.  He  had  not  very  far  to  go;  a  tiny  stream, 
two  feet  wide  and  several  inches  deep,  ran  through 
the  wood  from  the  higher  ground.  After  throwing 
himself  down  and  taking  a  drink,  he  hurried  back 
to  Percy. 

"  It  is  all  right,  Percy,  I  have  found  it.  We 
can  wash  to  our  hearts'  content;  think  of  that, 
lad." 

Percy  could  hardly  stand,  but  he  made  an  effort, 
and  Jack  half  carried  him  to  the  streamlet.  There 
the  lads  spent  two  hours.  First  they  bathed  their 
heads  and  hands,  and  then,  stripping,  lay  down  in  the 
stream  and  allowed  it  to  flow  over  them,  then  they 
rubbed  themselves  with  handfuls  of  leaves  dipped  in 
the  water,  and  when  they  at  last  put  on  their  rags 
again  felt  like  new  men.  Percy  was  able  to  walk 
back  to  the  spot  they  had  quitted  with  the  assistance 
only  of  Jack's  arm.  The  latter,  feeling  that  his 
breakfast  had  by  no  means  appeased  his  hunger,  now 
started  for  a  search  through  the  wood,  and  presently 
returned  to  Percy  laden  with  nuts  and  berries. 

"  The  nuts  are  sure  to  be  all  right;  I  expect  the 
berries  are  too.  I  have  certainly  seen  some  like 
them  in  native  markets,  and  I  think  it  will  be  quite 
safe  to  risk  it" 


a?a  A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

The  rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in  picking  nuts  and 
eating  them.  Then  they  sat  down  and  waited  for 
the  arrival  of  their  friend.  He  came  two  hours  after 
nightfall  with  a  wallet  stored  with  provisions,  and 
told  them  that  he  had  regained  the  village  unob 
served.  The  attack  had  been  repulsed,  but  with 
severe  loss  to  the  defenders  as  well  as  the  assailants; 
two  of  their  guards  had  been  among  the  killed.  The 
others  had  made  a  great  clamor  over  the  escape  of 
the  prisoners,  and  had  made  a  close  search  through 
out  the  village  and  immediately  round  it,  for  they 
were  convinced  that  their  captives  had  not  had  the 
strength  to  go  any  distance.  He  thought,  however, 
that  although  they  had  professed  the  greatest  indig 
nation,  and  had  offered  many  threats  as  to  the  ven 
geance  that  government  would  take  upon  the  village, 
one  of  whose  inhabitants,  at  least,  must  have  aided 
in  the  evasion  of  the  prisoners,  they  would  not 
trouble  themselves  any  further  in  the  matter.  They 
had  already  reaped  a  rich  harvest  from  the  exhibi 
tion,  and  would  divide  among  themselves  the  share 
of  their  late  comrades;  nor  was  it  at  all  improbable 
that  if  they  were  to  report  the  matter  to  the  authori 
ties  they  would  themselves  get  into  seiious  trouble 
for  not  having  handed  over  the  prisoners  immedi 
ately  after  their  capture. 

For  a  fortnight  the  pilot  nursed  and  fed  the  two 
midshipmen.  He  had  already  provided  them  with 
native  clothes,  so  that  if  by  chance  any  villagers 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE.  273 

should  catch  sight  of  them  they  would  not  recognize 
them  as  the  escaped  white  men.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  both  the  lads  had  almost  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  their  sufferings.  Jack,  indeed,  had  picked 
up  from  the  first,  but  Percy  for  some  days  continued 
so  weak  and  ill  that  Jack  had  feared  that  he  was 
going  to  have  an  attack  of  fever  of  some  kind.  His 
companion's  cheery  and  hopeful  chat  did  as  much 
good  for  Percy  as  the  nourishing  food  with  which 
their  friend  supplied  them,  and  at  the  end  of  the  fort 
night  he  declared  that  he  felt  sufficiently  strong  to 
attempt  to  make  his  way  down  to  the  coast. 

The  pilot  acted  as  their  guide.  When  they  in 
quired  about  his  wife,  he  told  them  carelessly  that 
she  would  remain  with  her  kinsfolk,  and  would 
travel  on  to  Canton  and  join  him  there  when  she 
found  an  opportunity.  The  journey  was  accom 
plished  at  night,  by  very  short  stages  at  first,  but  by 
increasing  distances  as  Percy  gained  strength.  Dur 
ing  the  daytime  the  lads  lay  hid  in  woods  or  jungles, 
while  their  companion  went  into  the  village  and 
purchased  food.  They  struck  the  river  many  milesj 
above  Canton,  and  the  pilot,  going  down  first  to  a 
village  on  its  banks,  bargained  for  a  boat  to  take  him 
and  two  women  down  to  the  city. 

The  lads  went  on  board  at  night  and  took  their 
places  in  the  little  cabin  formed  of  bamboos  and  cov 
ered  with  mats  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  re 
mained  thus  sheltered  not  only  from  the  view  of 


S74  d  BRUSH  WITH  THE  CHINESE. 

people  in  boats  passing  up  or  down  the  stream,  baf 
from  the  eyes  of  their  own  boatmen. 

After  two  days'  journey  down  the  river  without 
incident,  they  arrived  off  Canton,  where  the  British 
fleet  was  still  lying  while  negotiations  for  peace  were 
being  carried  on  with  the  authorities  at  Pekin. 
Peeping  out  between  the  mats,  the  lads  caught  sight 
of  the  English  warships,  and,  knowing  that  there 
was  now  no  danger,  they  dashed  out  of  the  cabin,  to 
the  surprise  of  the  native  boatmen,  and  shouted  and 
waved  their  arms  to  the  distant  ships. 

In  ten  minutes  they  were  alongside  the  Perseus, 
when  they  were  hailed  as  if  restored  from  the  dead. 
The  pilot  was  very  handsomely  rewarded  by  the 
English  authorities  for  his  kindness  to  the  prisoners, 
and  was  highly  satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  pro 
ceedings,  which  more  than  doubled  the  little  capital 
with  which  he  had  retired  from  business.  Jack 
Fothergill  and  Percy  Adcock  declare  that  they  have 
never  since  eaten  chicken  without  thinking  of  their 
Christmas  fare  on  the  morning  of  their  escape  from 
the  hands  of  the  Chinese  pirates. 


THE    ENR 


The  American  Boy's 
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for  Boy  Scouts  and  Others 

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how  the  knowledge  has  been  developed,  and  the  reasons  for 
the  various  phenomena,  without  using  technical  words  so  as 
to  bring  it  within  the  compass  of  every  boy.  It  has  a  complete 
glossary  of  terms,  and  is  illustrated  with  two  hundred  original 
drawings. 

Practical  Mechanics  for  Boys 

This  book  takes  the  beginne*  through  a  comprehensive  series 
of  practical  shop  work,  in  which  the  uses  of  tools,  and  the 
structure  and  handling  of  shop  machinery  are  set  forth;  how 
they  are  utilized  to  perform  the  work,  and  the  manner  in 
which  all  dimensional  work  is  carried  out.  Every  subject  is 
illustrated,  and  model  building  explained.  It  contains  a  glos 
sary  which  comprises  a  new  system  of  cross  references,  a 
feature  that  will  prove  a  welcome  departure  in  explaining  sub 
jects.  Fully  illustrated. 


For  sale  by  all  Booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  $1.00. 

M.   A.    DONOHUE    &    COMPANY 

711  S.  DEARBORN  STREET  ::  CHICAGO 


VICTORY  BOY  SCOUTS 

BY 
CAPTAIN  ALAN  DOUGLAS 

SCOUTMASTER 

Stories  from  the  pen  of  a  writer  who  possesses  a  thorough  know 
ledge  of  his  subject.  In  addition  to  the  stories  there  is  an  addenda 
in  which  useful  boy  scout  nature  lore  is  given,  all  illustrated. 

THE  CAMPFIRES  OF  THE  WOLF  PATROL 

WOODCRAFT;  OR,  How  A  PATROL  LEADER  MADE  GOOD 

PATHFINDER;  OR,  THE  MISSING  TENDERFOOT 

GREAT  HIKE;  OR,  THE  PRIDE  OF  KHAKI  TROOP 

ENDURANCE  TEST;  OR,  How  CLEAR  GRIT  WON  THE  DAY 

UNDER  CANVAS;  OR,  THE  SEARCH  FOR  THE  CARTERET 
GHOST 

STORM-BOUND;  OR,  A  VACATION  AMONG  THE  SNOW-DRIFTS 

AFLOAT;  OR,  ADVENTURES  ON  WATERY  TRAILS 

TENDERFOOT  SQUAD;  OR,  CAMPING  AT  RACCOON  LODGE 

BOY  SCOUT  ELECTRICIANS;  OR.  THE  HIDDEN  DYNAMO 

BOY  SCOUTS  IN  OPEN  PLAINS;  OR,  THE  ROUND-UP  NOT 
ORDERED 

BOY  Scours  IN  AN  AIRPLANE;  OR,  THE  WARNING  FROM  THE 
SKY 

Price  Each  40c,  postpaid 
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701-733  South  Dearborn  Street  CHICAGO 


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